Sartell Brining Efforts Better For Environment & Saves City Money

SARTELL (WJON News) -- You may have asked yourself what are those trucks spraying on the roads in the area each winter? Several area cities spray brine in the winter to help control and prevent ice from forming on the roads. Sartell has been using brine since 2016 after members of the Public Works Department went to a salt symposium put on by the state.

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Brine is a 23% salt and water solution that is better for the environment compared to plain rock salt. Sartell Public Works Director John Kothenbeutel says in addition to the environmental benefits the brine helps cut down on accidents which is their main goal:

"Our main goal is zero accidents. If we've have a zero accident morning, we've done our job and we really shoot for that and if all the school buses get to the school that's where are targets are, our target brining areas are all our main roads and school routes."

Maintenance Supervisor Larry Then says the brine creates a barrier on the road surface to help prevent ice from forming:

"We have a lot of frosts, a lot of frosty mornings, a lot of foggy mornings with freezing moisture on the road surface, and that's what's so cool about the brine is that it provides a barrier, a release agent on the road surface so the ice can't form on the road surface."

Then says every winter is different so it is hard for the city to say how much money they have saved over the years but the environmental benefits alone makes it worth it, and notes that it takes just 1 teaspoon of salt to pollute 5 gallons of fresh water.

Kothenbeutel says the brine saves the city money by cutting down on how much salt and overtime they have to use every year  He says typically the city needs to put in its salt order with the state in March, for the upcoming winter, but because of the unseasonably warm winter, and the brining efforts they may not need to order any salt next month. On average, the city uses a quarter less salt with brining and received the League of Minnesota Cities City of Excellence Award for its brining efforts in 2021.

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