Pembroke’s Operations Department is moving to a pre-treated salt product for municipal roads during the winter months, a move that could enhance service and prolong the life of city vehicles. That’s according to Director of the Operations Department Brian Lewis. Though the product may cost a little more, a report to city council shows the cost of pre-treated salt of roughly $36,000. The increase in costs is offset by the $13,000 in savings from no longer requiring the purchase of winter liquids to pre-wet the salt. Additional savings of $50,000 are expected in a reduction in salt usage compared to using standard rock salt.
Periodic savings of $18,000 during plow/salt truck purchasing is also applicable with the elimination of the need to equip trucks with pre-wet liquid tanks. The use of treated salt does not require any additional equipment to be installed on the trucks. As well, there are inherent savings both in fleet and infrastructure maintenance with reduced corrosion and repairs required.
A report to city council states:
Benefits to the use of a treated salt versus standard rock salt include the following:• Application rates are reduced by 20-30% as the product has less scatter on the
roadway. Less salt bounces onto the shoulder or beyond. (95% stays within the
targeted area)
• It works at a lower temperature compared to typical rock salt. The working
temperature can be reduced to -15°C, providing a wider temperature band for deicing operations, delaying the need to spread sand for traction control.
The use of a pre-treated salt as opposed to pre-wetting salt during dispersion, extends the service life of equipment and roadway hardware (manhole covers, water valve infrastructure, sign posts, guide rails, etc.) with a estimated 50% reduction in corrosion to the equipment, thus reducing the downtime on vehicles for repairs. In the past, pre-treated salt was used as part of a trial conducted by the Operations Department, and it was found to be very effective. It was not continued at the time as the wet application equipment was relatively new and a return on investment could not be
achieved if switching methods at that time. Currently there are 77 municipalities in the Province of Ontario that utilize just one of the available pre-treated salt products as part of their winter control operations. Canadian Nuclear Laboratories utilizes the Thawrox product on site and have seen an improvement in both performance and cost savings as well as less corrosion to their assets.