Clean Lake Tip: Brine Time

Road salt has ripple effects on aquatic ecology, human health, and infrastructure. Anti-icing—the practice of preparing your roads before a freeze rather than salting your roads after ice—helps keep your driveway safe while using significantly less salt. Anti-icing before a storm is similar to using a non-stick spray on a pan before cooking: just as the spray prevents food from bonding to the pan, anti-icing prevents snow and ice from bonding to the pavement so that it can be plowed away. This approach can help you cut salt application in half. The steps outlined below, adapted from New Hampshire’s Best Management Practices for anti-icing by Axiomatic and from The Conservation Foundation, will help you take this approach at home and cut back on salt. 

How to make it 

To make salt brine, you will need rock salt, a measuring cup, a bucket or large container, hot water, and a masonry or pump sprayer. Professionals recommend a 23.3% salt brine solution for best results. To achieve this, mix about 3.5 cups of rock salt with one gallon of hot water in a bucket or large container and combine until the salt is dissolved. Let the brine cool and pour it into the sprayer. If you have excess salt settled at the bottom, use a strainer while transferring the brine to avoid clogs. 

How to use it 

Up to 24-48 hours before a storm—or at least one to two hours before flakes start to fall—you can start to spray your brine. You can use a masonry sprayer to apply the liquid prior to snowfall but note that anti-icing is not as effective prior to freezing rain events. Start by applying about 0.25—0.5 gallons to a 10-foot by 50-foot area. Adjust the application rates based on your experience. Be careful not to over-apply and cause a slippery condition.  

Best management tips 

• Don’t apply brine if rain is forecasted before snow – Freezing rain makes brine less effective; anti-icing should be restricted to mostly snow precipitation. 

• Get out early – Anti-icing is most effective when applied at least one to two hours before snowfall; however, it can be applied up to 48 hours in advance. 

• Leave some pavement bare - It’s always best to use stream nozzles instead of fan tips to avoid creating a slippery condition. If the anti-icing liquid freezes the bare pavement will still provide traction. Use the sprayer to make lines back and forth across the pavement rather than covering the whole surface. 

• Use a filter - Having a filter in your liquid dispensing system will reduce clogs in your nozzle. Automotive in-line fuel filters work quite well. If your liquid dispenser is not functioning properly be sure to check the filter first. 

• Agitate or shake the sprayer – This is particularly important if the sprayer has been sitting out for a longer period between storms, as this prevents the salt from settling out. 

• Keep your extra brine at the end of the season – Leftover brine after the last snowfall can be stored in an old milk jug for the next winter. Rinse your sprayer out at the end of the season and pour the rinse water into the jug with the brine. Don’t dump excess brine or rinse water onto your lawn or down a storm drain or sink drain.