City of WL testing new de-icing agent

Courtesy of the City of Williams Lake:

In response to public inquiries, the City of Williams Lake would like to provide information on the new de-icing agent recently applied to City streets.

The City is testing the effectiveness of a liquid agent called Beet 55, a mixture of 60% salt brine and 40% beet concentrate. It is 15% less corrosive than magnesium chloride liquid, which the City has used for several years. Beet 55 has a freeze point of approximately -20 degrees Celsius. When applied, it provides:

• A delay, or prevent the formation of a bond between the road surface and snow accumulation.
• Quicker elimination of frost and ice formed on the road surface.
• The ability for snow clearing crews to remove snow down to the road surface, creating greater efficiencies.
Recently it has been brought to the attention of the Municipal Services Department that the product was being used by VSA Highway Maintenance LTD from Merritt, which has been using Beet 55 on their highway systems since 2010 with good results. In addition the product has been used extensively for several years throughout the Midwestern United States.

Beet 55 is not harmful to pets or humans, however it is not suitable for human or pet consumption. As with any salt product the public needs to be aware that if the salt brine gets on the paws of dogs that it should be washed off ASAP. This will prevent your pet from licking at the product and will prevent unnecessary discomfort should your pet have a open sore or wound.

At this point the City is pleased with the results of the product, which is also less expensive than magnesium chloride. The City will continue to test with Beet 55 for the remainder of this snow season, and then make determination whether to apply it regularly in the future.

For information on this product, please contact the Municipal Services Department at 250-392-1783.