Is salt brine the solution to snow covered roads?
NEW BERLIN – Village of New Berlin officials voted Tuesday to try what they said was an environmentally and economically friendly way of keeping their roads clear following a presentation from a Village of Hamilton representative.
On Tuesday night at the Village of New Berlin board meeting, officials voted to begin using salt brine as another form of snow deterrent on village roads.
The decision to start using the new product came after a presentation from Village of Hamilton Department of Public Works (DPW) Superintendent Randy Weaver where he highlighted the benefits of salt brine, including environmental friendliness, cost reduction, product effectiveness, and reduced start-up costs as Hamilton would allow them to use a several thousand dollar distribution device for a year, charge free.
However in a separate interview, Village of Sherburne Electric and DPW Superintendent Travis DuBois said while the solution can work for municipalities that have multiple road clearing shifts, the combination of salt and dirt has proven more effective for a municipality that doesn't.
"We tried using salt brine, but it just wasn't strong enough to keep the roads clear," said DuBois. "I know other municipalities use and enjoy it, but for an operation like ours, the extra equipment and manpower hours needed to make it effective outweighed its usefulness."
According to Weaver, salt brine is basically a mixture of salt and water, with an occasional addition of magnesium chloride for temperatures under approximately 20 degrees fahrenheit.
Weaver presented the board with comparison photos of a couple of village roads that were treated on Friday with dirt and salt verses roads that were treated with salt brine.
"The only way to really see the difference is to compare the results side by side," said Weaver. "Salt brine can save a municipality a considerable sum in salt, dirt, and overtime costs."
He added that salt brine is so environmentally friendly that you can drink it, and by using more brine and less dirt, municipalities can reduce the amount of clogged storm drains, maintenance hours required, and vehicles turning into rust on their roads.
Weaver said the Village of Hamilton manufactures salt brine, and all the Village of New Berlin would have to do is supply the rock salt, purchase a container to store the brine solution, and pay approximately a penny more per than they do to make it.
He said the solution costs around six-and-a-half cents per gallon to make and the village would only charge New Berlin approximately seven cents per gallon as long as they supply the salt.
"I wanted to make New Berlin's investment as small as possible so they could try it without taking a huge financial gamble," he said. "This way if they like it and want to continue using it they can, but if they don't then they're not losing out financially."
He said the largest part of the start-up cost would be investing in a tank to hold the salt brine, which could be around $3,000.
Village of New Berlin Trustee Carol Riley said by swapping to salt brine, the village may save $5,000 a year in supplies alone, not including potential overtime savings.
Riley said, "Economically and environmentally, this is a win-win."
New Berlin officials voted to begin using salt brine Tuesday night, and according to Weaver the following day they were outfitting a truck with Hamilton's salt brine dispenser.
On Tuesday night at the Village of New Berlin board meeting, officials voted to begin using salt brine as another form of snow deterrent on village roads.
The decision to start using the new product came after a presentation from Village of Hamilton Department of Public Works (DPW) Superintendent Randy Weaver where he highlighted the benefits of salt brine, including environmental friendliness, cost reduction, product effectiveness, and reduced start-up costs as Hamilton would allow them to use a several thousand dollar distribution device for a year, charge free.
However in a separate interview, Village of Sherburne Electric and DPW Superintendent Travis DuBois said while the solution can work for municipalities that have multiple road clearing shifts, the combination of salt and dirt has proven more effective for a municipality that doesn't.
"We tried using salt brine, but it just wasn't strong enough to keep the roads clear," said DuBois. "I know other municipalities use and enjoy it, but for an operation like ours, the extra equipment and manpower hours needed to make it effective outweighed its usefulness."
According to Weaver, salt brine is basically a mixture of salt and water, with an occasional addition of magnesium chloride for temperatures under approximately 20 degrees fahrenheit.
Weaver presented the board with comparison photos of a couple of village roads that were treated on Friday with dirt and salt verses roads that were treated with salt brine.
"The only way to really see the difference is to compare the results side by side," said Weaver. "Salt brine can save a municipality a considerable sum in salt, dirt, and overtime costs."
He added that salt brine is so environmentally friendly that you can drink it, and by using more brine and less dirt, municipalities can reduce the amount of clogged storm drains, maintenance hours required, and vehicles turning into rust on their roads.
Weaver said the Village of Hamilton manufactures salt brine, and all the Village of New Berlin would have to do is supply the rock salt, purchase a container to store the brine solution, and pay approximately a penny more per than they do to make it.
He said the solution costs around six-and-a-half cents per gallon to make and the village would only charge New Berlin approximately seven cents per gallon as long as they supply the salt.
"I wanted to make New Berlin's investment as small as possible so they could try it without taking a huge financial gamble," he said. "This way if they like it and want to continue using it they can, but if they don't then they're not losing out financially."
He said the largest part of the start-up cost would be investing in a tank to hold the salt brine, which could be around $3,000.
Village of New Berlin Trustee Carol Riley said by swapping to salt brine, the village may save $5,000 a year in supplies alone, not including potential overtime savings.
Riley said, "Economically and environmentally, this is a win-win."
New Berlin officials voted to begin using salt brine Tuesday night, and according to Weaver the following day they were outfitting a truck with Hamilton's salt brine dispenser.
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