Waukesha County salt dome collapses

The oldest salt dome in Waukesha County collapsed Tuesday and investigators are looking into the cause, according to the Waukesha County Department of Public Works.

The collapse happened around 3:40 p.m. at the county Highway Operations at 1641 Woodburn Ave. in Waukesha, according to county officials. There were no injuries and highway operations weren’t affected, and no one was inside or loading salt when the structure fell.

The dome was 37 years old and was the oldest of three salt domes on the property, officials said. The DPW estimated around 1,600 to 2,300 tons of salt were inside and there was snow on the roof from the recent snowfall.

According to the National Weather Service, the Milwaukee area had a wintry mix of light snow, light freezing rain and frizzle that lingered into Tuesday morning. Parts of southern Wisconsin faced a winter weather advisory due to the cold and wet conditions.

A contractor hired by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation inspected the structure last year, officials said. The public works department is hopeful to salvage the salt in the collapsed dome, officials added.

The department said the public won’t be affected and the county has 15,000 tons of salt available at two other salt domes, as well as other domes across the county, officials said. Operations will still be able to use salt and clear snow for more than 2,000 county and state line miles, officials added.

“First and foremost, we’re very grateful no one was in or around the salt dome at the time of the collapse and that there will be no impact to operations for our county residents,” Paul Farrow, executive of Waukesha County, said in a statement.

An investigation to find what caused the collapse is underway, officials said. The county is also working with insurance adjusters and its own facilities and risk management team, officials added.