Changes

===Brine & Agricultural By-Product===

===Brine & Agricultural By-Product===

Many municipalities have found treated rock salt to be worth the extra investment, due to its increased effectiveness at lower temperatures and lower application rate when compared to standard rock salt application practices. Furthermore, the process of pre-wetting rock salt with brine or an agricultural by-product (beet juice for example) as it is applied can help the mixture better adhere to road and pavement surfaces better and reduce excess waste. To note, the effectiveness of agricultural by-products is still under some evaluation, as some major cities, including Toronto, use it under certain conditions, several Lake Simcoe watershed municipalities have tested it and found it not to be effective, as it is generally only effective at temperatures below -12°C. Furthermore agricultural by-products have to be applied before a snowfall event to melt the fallen snow in a relatively short period of time, which generally is not possible or practical (if applied after a snowfall event it takes a long time to begin the melting process). Read more about these alternative applications in [https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/Alternatives-to-salt-technical-brief.pdf STEP's Technical Brief: Alternatives to Salt]<ref>STEP. 2020. Alternatives to Salt: What else melts snow and ice? Technical Brief. https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/Alternatives-to-salt-technical-brief.pdf</ref>, which highlights how municipalities across Canada using salt as their primary deicer agent in winter, poses significant impacts to their regions. This includes, corrosion of infrastructure and other metal structures such as railings and doorways, damage to vehicles, contamination of surface and groundwater, impacts to roadside vegetation, increased wildlife collision rates and large amounts of product waste due to blowing or bouncing off roadways). Read more about the benefits, drawbacks, cost estimates and lowest working temperature for a given deicing agent at the link above.  

Many municipalities have found treated rock salt to be worth the extra investment, due to its increased effectiveness at lower temperatures and lower application rate when compared to standard rock salt application practices. Furthermore, the process of pre-wetting rock salt with brine or an agricultural by-product (beet juice for example) as it is applied can help the mixture better adhere to road and pavement surfaces better and reduce excess waste and can enhance the effectiveness of rock salt application below -12°C. To note, the effectiveness of agricultural by-products is still under some evaluation, as some major cities, including Toronto, use it under certain conditions, several Lake Simcoe watershed municipalities have tested it and found it not to be as effective as rock salt. Furthermore agricultural by-products have to be applied before a snowfall event to melt the fallen snow in a relatively short period of time, which generally is not possible or practical (if applied after a snowfall event it takes a long time to begin the melting process). Read more about these alternative applications in [https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/Alternatives-to-salt-technical-brief.pdf STEP's Technical Brief: Alternatives to Salt]<ref>STEP. 2020. Alternatives to Salt: What else melts snow and ice? Technical Brief. https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/Alternatives-to-salt-technical-brief.pdf</ref>, which highlights how municipalities across Canada using salt as their primary deicer agent in winter, poses significant impacts to their regions. This includes, corrosion of infrastructure and other metal structures such as railings and doorways, damage to vehicles, contamination of surface and groundwater, impacts to roadside vegetation, increased wildlife collision rates and large amounts of product waste due to blowing or bouncing off roadways). Read more about the benefits, drawbacks, cost estimates and lowest working temperature for a given deicing agent at the link above.  

[[File:Sand accumulated road.PNG|thumb|250px|Sand accumulates on the ride of the road after being applied after a snowfall event. Sand can travel into nearby watercourses, wetlands, and increases clean-up associated costs for the municipality. Photo source: [https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/Sand-vs-Salt-tech-brief.pdf LSRCA, 2018.]<ref>LSRCA. 2018. Sand versus Salt: Should sand be used for winter maintenance? Technical Bulletin, Volume 1 October 2018. https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/Sand-vs-Salt-tech-brief.pdf</ref>]]

[[File:Sand accumulated road.PNG|thumb|250px|Sand accumulates on the ride of the road after being applied after a snowfall event. Sand can travel into nearby watercourses, wetlands, and increases clean-up associated costs for the municipality. Photo source: [https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/Sand-vs-Salt-tech-brief.pdf LSRCA, 2018.]<ref>LSRCA. 2018. Sand versus Salt: Should sand be used for winter maintenance? Technical Bulletin, Volume 1 October 2018. https://sustainabletechnologies.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/Sand-vs-Salt-tech-brief.pdf</ref>]]