Roughly 26,000 tons of salt is unloaded from the Algowood bulk carrier at Port Milwaukee in mid-January. Laker ships continue to bring salt mined in Ontario into the port through February. From there, upwards of 300 trucks per day deliver it to local and state government facilities throughout southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Trucking volumes can increase as public works crews replenish after a round of inclement weather. Approximately 950,000 tons of salt moved through Port Milwaukee last year, about half of the port’s total volume. The salt is sold by Compass Minerals International Inc. and handled by Kinder Morgan Inc. Both companies are port tenants. While the port serves a wide region, the western portion of Wisconsin is served by salt brought up the Mississippi River and the northeast portion of the state gets its salt from the Port of Green Bay.
