Due to the frequency of this season’s winter storms that have pounded much of the country, real concerns about rock salt shortages are growing and have brought up some interesting alternatives.
According to CNN, New York City is running low on the precious salt and has to get some from the state, while other places that ran out are using alternatives to combat roadways.
The Los Angeles Times has reported that many local and state governments have been forced to make salt conservation plans, bring in emergency shipments, and experiment with mixtures of different substances that may work.
Wichita, Kan., has made the choice to only salt the town’s main roadways and use sand for the other roads. Sand is commonly used in the South where winter storms are less common.
In Polk County, Wis., cheese brine is being used to coat the highways, and in New Jersey. officials may use a mixture of salt and water that is similar to pickle juice to treat its roads.
Rock salt is used to break down ice and snow in the streets after winter precipitation. And judging by the way this winter is going, many areas are going to need a lot more of it, unless they can come up with other alternatives.