Where will the snow go? Here's how NYC is using "hot tubs" to dig out from the winter storm.
New York City endured its fifth consecutive day with temperatures below freezing Wednesday, which means the mounds of snow from last weekend's winter storm aren't going anywhere.
Without a warm-up in sight, the Department of Sanitation says it is taking the melting process into its own hands.
When Mother Nature's temperatures don't cooperate, you get snow-melting operations of the man-made variety.
DSNY is using what it calls "hot tubs," though they're more like cold plunges. The heated tubs sit at 38 degrees -- warm enough to melt the snow while controlling the flow of water, Acting Commissioner Javier Lojan said Wednesday.
Dump trucks bring piles of snow to the tub, then front-loaders pick the snow up and drop it into the tub. Once it's melted down, the water goes into the sewer system.
"Each snow melter melts between 60 to 120 tons [of snow] per hour," Lojan said.
Even at that rate, with one hot tub in each borough, making a dent in the leftover snow will take time.
"We plan on running this system for the next couple of weeks. There's a lot of snow out there," Lojan said.
DSNY said it is prioritizing bus routes, and that mass collections of snow are difficult, bordering on impossible, on small side streets without stopping traffic for an extended period.
Lojan said there's only so much that can be done beyond plowing and salting on those side streets.