Greene County exploring ways to save on salt this winter

XENIA — With more snow heading this way, Greene County is implementing expert strategies to save as much of it can of its salt supply.

“This year it’s gold. At $92 a ton, it’s high-dollar stuff,” Greene County Engineer Bob Geyer said.

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Geyer says the county’s barn will be full, but weather will dictate how fast the supply dwindles.

“The longer we can hold onto it, the better,” he said.

He said he plans to mix the salt with a product called “Beat Heat” to help extend the salt supply.

“It provided carbohydrates and other chemicals that allows it to melt snow,” Geyer said.

Then, as the salt supply starts to dwindle and before he buys more, Geyer aid he plans to mix more Beat Heat with a 50/50 mix of salt and limestone grit, which will help add traction.

And finally, “if then we see salt still an issue and we still have storms coming, then we’ll go straight grit and up the Beat Heat again.”

That would be an extreme case, but it’s happened before. With 330 miles to cover by county crews, salt can be used quickly.

“You gotta look at how you spend money,” Geyer said, noting that when it comes to snow, you also have to make driver safety a priority.

Geyer said his crews will do their best to plow a path, but the more snow, the less salt you’ll see.

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