Sustainability In The Street Unit
Liquid Deicing Program
Beginning in the winter of 2008/2009, the Public Works Department started using a liquid deicer to augment our use of rock salt. The liquid deicer is a mixture of salt brine (salt and water), liquid calcium chloride, and sugar beet extract. The use of this material has allowed us to reduce our use of road salt while utilizing an environmentally friendly product to achieve our goal of safe winter streets.
Below is a summary of the Village’s salt usage for the last three fiscal years.
Fiscal Year
|
FY08 |
FY09 |
FY10 |
| Liquid application rate |
No liquid |
10 gals/ton |
15 gals/ton |
| Number of snow events |
32 |
24 |
22 |
| Salt used |
11,941 tons |
6,670 tons |
5,602 tons |
| Salt used per event |
373 tons |
278 tons |
255 tons |
| Inches of snow |
92.5 inches |
66.5 inches |
66 inches |
| Salt used per inch of snow |
129 tons |
100 tons |
85 tons |
| Salt application rate |
800 lbs/lane mile |
500 lbs/lane mile |
450 lbs/lane mile |
As the data shows, there is a correlation between our increased use of liquid deicer (beet juice) and the reduction in salt use. The most dramatic reduction in rock salt use was seen from FY08 to FY09 when we initiated our liquid program. We further fine tuned our liquid use from FY09 to FY10 by increasing our liquid application rate from 10 gallons/ton to 15 gallons/ton.
Left: Liquid deicier storage tanks at the Public Works Facility
Right: Liquid deicier tanks mounted to one of our snow plows
Recycled Asphalt Materials (RAP) Use
This year, the Public Works Department began using Recycled Asphalt Materials or RAP for use in our pothole and street patching efforts. Under this program, as much as 30% of the asphalt mixture we use is recycled material, reducing costs by as much as 18%. In the first year of implementation, the department saved approximately $9,000 in materials costs.