Brunswick is turning 750 tons of rock salt from white to blue as part of an experiment to determine if treated salt is better than untreated salt when it comes to melting snow and ice on the roads.
The city is the first in Ohio to test a calcium chloride-based product made by Envirotech out of Colorado.
The product is called S.O.S. which stands for Save on Salt, but Gary Blenda, a salesman for the company, has a different nickname for it.
"We call it salt on steroids," he said.
On Wednesday, a dark blue liquid was sprayed on mounds of rock salt at the service department's headquarters on Center Road.
Paul Barnett, Brunswick's service director, said the mixture is supposed to make salt more effective in a Northeast Ohio winter.
"Salt becomes ineffective at about 17 degrees. This will take us down into the negative temperatures," Barnett said.
Brunswick is paying Envirotech $8,325 for the treatment and then plow drivers will run an experiment at two intersections.
In January, a camera and a sensor will be placed on a traffic light at the intersection of Laurel and Pearl Roads. When conditions are snowy or icy, the blue mixture will be dumped.
The camera will monitor temperatures, road conditions and how well S.O.S. melts the snow and ice.
At the same time, a camera at the intersection of West 130th and Grafton Road will monitor the effectiveness of just rock salt.
Barnett said a comparison will be done before the city determines if S.O.S. is worth any future investment.
"Does this make sense or doesn't this make sense? It's taxpayer money and we're very critical on how we spend taxpayer money. We've got to make sure the bang is for the buck," he said.
The cost for S.O.S. is estimated about $10 to $12 more per ton when compared to regular rock salt.
However, Barnett said the city could save money by using the blue mixture because fewer applications would be needed, which would likely result in less overtime and fuel costs.
"If you use it the right way, you can actually provide the same level of service at a lower cost," Barnett added.
Envirotech also said the product reduces the bounce and scatter effect of rock salt.
"We're just trying to minimize the salt that's being used for the environment's sake," Blenda said.
Blenda said S.O.S. is currently used in several other states including Colorado, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Wisconsin.
He said the city of Berea is also considering using S.O.S.
