The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON--Warmer, milder weather is going to allow county crews to start spring maintenance, earlier than usual, said Public Works Director Andrew Woods at last week’s meeting of the Columbia County Commissioners.

County crews are to begin digging ditches, cleaning culverts, cutting brush, and applying herbicide to the shoulders of paved roads in the next few weeks.

Road grading has begun in the north part of the county, which is pretty typical, Woods said.

He said the county is going to purchase dry calcium chloride and use county labor to apply it, in place of magnesium chloride, as used in ye...