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Spokane staff say city shifting toward granular deicers, not straight brine
Summary
City staff told the Spokane City Council briefing that the city has been using more dry granular deicer recently while continuing to use liquid magnesium chloride for pretreating; officials said overall cost is similar and that granular products help with traction and reduce sand cleanup.
Marlene Feist, a city staff member, told the Spokane City Council briefing the city has shifted toward using more dry granular deicer this winter while still using liquid products in pretreatment.
"All deicers are a salt," Feist said. "The liquid deicer we use is magnesium chloride, but all deicers are a salt."
Feist said granular deicers provide more grit for vehicle traction, reduce the amount of sand crews must later sweep up, and can remain effective on milder, melting days when liquids might be washed away. She also said the liquid product remains useful when crews pretreat roads ahead of a storm so the liquid can be incorporated into accumulating snow.
The briefing noted the city includes corrosion inhibitors in its deicer products. Feist described successful use of a granular product in bike lanes and said the city can put deicer into the sander box used on some routes. She added that the change reflects a transfer in how funds are spent rather than an overall increase in cost: "The cost isn't different. It's just we are transferring where we're spending the money. So less liquid, more dry granular. But the cost, overall is about the same," Feist said.
Council member Bingle asked whether a recent TV report that suggested the city would use "straight brine" had been corrected; Feist said the outlet issued an online correction but that on-air coverage could not be retracted.
No formal action was taken during the briefing; the item was presented as a consent briefing for council information.
City staff indicated they will continue to use both product types based on conditions and operational needs, and that the granular product has been deployed successfully in bike lanes and other targeted applications.
