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Where Will All The Snow Go?

CHICAGO (CBS) -- As the snow plows and snow blowers finish their work, one key question comes to mind: Where are we going to put all that snow?

LISTEN: Newsradio 780's Pat Cassidy reports

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Unlike after the blizzard of 1967, it is illegal to dump snow into lakes and rivers, unless you have a government permit. The practice was banned because plowed snow contains all sorts of chemicals and pollutants, from road salt to gasoline and motor oil.

The City of Chicago is deploying jet-engine-like snow heaters to blast some of the snow into water. The city, like many other towns, also will be dumping it into trucks and dropping it in abandoned parking lots or open fields.

Otherwise, the snow will just pile up on the sides of roads and on street corners. Some of those piles may not melt until sometime in the spring. It certainly won't be melting anytime soon--with temperatures expected to be below freezing for at least the next seven to 10 days.

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