Brine solution to help control gravel road dust

Tue, Apr 28, 2009    to del.icio.us

GRAND HAVEN TOWNSHIP — Gravel roads in the township will be given a mineral well brine solution instead of the usual calcium chloride solution to help control the dust.

On Monday, the Township Board unanimously approved using a different company, Great Lakes Chloride Inc. of Free Soil, for dust control. Township officials said the company that had been used in the past, Liquid Dustlayers, went out of business.

Great Lakes Chloride, which uses the brine solution, was the cheaper option for dust control — costing about $1,600 per mile, which is about $1,200 under budget if the frequency increased from the normal two applications per year to three. The brine solution includes 21.8 percent calcium and magnesium chloride, and 4 percent sodium chloride.

The other option was using a 38-percent calcium chloride solution, which has been done in the past, by Michigan Chloride Sales LLC of St. Louis. This alternative would cost about $2,300 per mile if given the normal two applications for the season, exceeding the budget by almost $12,000.

The approved brine solution application would be applied three times per year about every 45 days in the spring in summer: early May, mid-to-end June and mid-August, Township Manager Bill Cargo said.