Campton Township has luck with new road de-icer

Campton Township officials say a new road de-icer has them holding the salt and saving money.

This winter, the highway department is experimenting with a grain- and sugar-based liquid advertised as more effective and more environmentally friendly than the common remedy of rock salt and chloride.

So far, so good, according to Highway Commissioner Sam Gallucci.

"The material has worked real well for us," Gallucci said. "In the long-term, if we have a normal winter like last year, I'm figuring it's going to save us about $25,000 to $30,000 in salt we don't have to use."

According to Gallucci, Campton Township was the first in Kane County to use Magic Liquid or Magic Salt, as the product is known. Pingree Grove has since begun using a similar product and also reports positive results.

It works like this: Just before a big storm, road crews spray the liquid - sometimes mixed with salt - along road curves and stretches of pavement where ice tends to accumulate.

The product works in temperatures as low as 35 degrees below zero, Gallucci said, while salt and chloride are effective to just 18 and 0 degrees, respectively.

"It's not cheap, but it's got our salt usage down by 50 percent," he said, noting the going rate is about $3.30 a gallon compared to 80 cents a gallon for chloride.

Another benefit, Gallucci said, is the de-icer helps prevent potholes because it keeps water from freezing and expanding between cracks in the road. He said the product is biodegradable and harmless to humans and animals.

"We're not going to have any dead grass this spring where the salt has laid on it," Gallucci said. "Using salt and chloride is pretty toxic to the environment."