Snow Berms

What to Do About Berms

• Don’t shovel or blow snow back into the roadway.
• Shovel berm next to the bank on the side of the road beyond your driveway before it freezes or is packed down.
• Do not remove snow stakes - they are guides for snow plows.
• Place your trash cans in your driveway, behind the snow stakes.
• Mark circular or angled driveways to help snow plow operators avoid blocking them.
• Placer County utilizes “snow gates” on eight of its ten motor-graders to reduce (not eliminate) the size of driveway berms:
  • Trucks mounted with plows do not have snow gates.
  • Snow gates work best when there is less than 6 inches of snow on the road.
  • Effectiveness decreases as snow depth increases.
  • As a rule of thumb, snow gates will reduce the size of a driveway berm by one-half.
  • Snow gates are easily damaged by heavy Sierra snow.
  • If damaged, you may see the grader continue to operate with the plow stuck in the up position. We do this to:
    • Prevent further damage to the snow gate
    • Prevent the possibility of hydraulic oil leaks
    • Prevent damage to the grader that would not allow it to continue plowing