Last week’s snowfall in Medford may have been the final storm of the pre-brine era in the township.
The township’s neighborhood services department is just a couple steps away from having the ability to treat Medford’s roads with brine, a water and salt mixture designed to keep snow from freezing to the roadways.
Brine is placed on the road up to 72 hours prior to a storm and acts as a layer between snow and the pavement. Brine keeps the snow from sticking to the pavement and allows plows to push the snow off the road more easily.
The brine system was purchased last winter to improve snow removal efforts on township roads.
“We want the community to know we’re not content with the service we’re providing,” former township manager Chris Schultz said during a meeting last January.
Interim township manager Katherine Burger said the township was scheduled to have the brine spreading equipment installed on the trucks during the week of Jan. 26, but was unable to complete the work since the trucks were needed for last week’s snow.
“We had to bring it back so we had to use it for the storm last week,” Burger said. “We’re still looking to get the equipment installed on the trucks. We’re trying again for next week.”
Barring another snowstorm in the next two weeks, installation on the brine spreading equipment should be completed on the township’s trucks. The next step is training personnel on how to use the equipment.
The brine will be used as a complement to salt, which Burger said will still be used in addition to brine.
“It should eliminate how much salt we’re using,” she said.
When the equipment was first purchased, Schultz said the township could change the method by which it treats the road. He discussed possibly treating side streets and residential developments with brine first rather than the main roads, since side streets are the last to get plowed.
However, Burger said the township would not go through with this change, saying the crews will continue to make the main roads their first priority.
“You always have to do that,” Burger said. “The whole idea is that we’ll brine the main roads first.”
Prior to future storms, township crews will attempt to brine as much of the town as possible. How many of the town’s roads receive brine will depend on a number of factors, such as the amount of time the town has to prepare and how much brine and salt crews have.
When a storm is imminent, Medford employs all its neighborhood services resources to pre-treating the roads. This same commitment will remain when brine is introduced.
