Several towns on Long Island have begun following a growing nation trend using beet juice to cut down on the need for road salt following this weekend’s devastating blizzard.
In fact, the Town of Brookhaven sprayed nearly 550 gallons of the liquid on a 6-mile stretch of Old Town Road between Coram and Setauket, and reported that it was effective in helping prevent melted ice from re-freezing, according to local County Highway Superintendent Daniel Losquandro.
Beet juice, a byproduct of manufacturing white sugar, helps also helps the usual sodium chloride stick to road surfaces, at the same time allowing municipalities to cut their salt use in half.
“It is also cheaper (about $25 per mile vs $75 for salt) and less damaging to the environment,” added Losquandro.
In the meantime, Sag Harbor Village said it has been using beet juice for the past 4-years, although they said it works best when temps drop below 15 degrees. As a result, the town’s Public Works Superintendent Dee Yardly said they decided to skip it during the latest storm due to warmer temperatures.
Using beet juice to de-ice roads has also become more common in other areas as well, including Washington, D.C., Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Missouri, which have been using beet products for years, along with other food stuffs such as potato sugar (left over from vodka production), pickle juice (brine) and even cheese products to help lower their winter expenditures with mixed results.
Source: www.examiner.com