Pingree Grove can't get enough rum, vodka product on the roads

Typically, when something is too good to be true, it often is.

Except, Pingree Grove officials say, in the case of Magic Minus Zero, the substance they just started using to keep snow and ice off local roads.

The product, made when byproducts of rum and vodka are mixed with magnesium chloride, has worked so well that village officials have signed up for another 4,200 gallons.

Board members Monday authorized spending $11,340 for a second batch, Village Manager Scott Hartman said.

The biodegradable liquid, which smells like soy sauce, has managed to keep snow and ice from sticking to the roads without creating cracks, potholes and other damage normally associated with salt alone, Public Works Director Pat Doherty said.

"We're very satisfied with the product," he said. "It works just like they said, which is almost too good to be true."

Pingree Grove places the liquid directly on the roads and also pours it onto salt, which strengthens its effectiveness, up to -35 degrees Fahrenheit.

As a result, officials estimate they have used 40 percent less salt on the roads.

The village has about 1,000 gallons leftover from its initial order, enough for three to five snowstorms, Doherty said. So far this season, officials have used a total of 3,000 gallons for the nine snowstorms that have blown through the town.

"With the amount of snow we had in December... we used quite a bit," said Village President Wyman "Clint" Carey.

Doherty wanted to get a jump on replenishing the village's existing supply and won't spend the money until it is absolutely necessary.

"I just didn't want to do this in a bind," he said.