LCEO preps for winter season, adds new H2Ohio grant-funded brine tank
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(LUCAS COUNTY, Ohio) – The fall season has arrived, and winter is just around the corner. The Lucas County Engineer’s Office is preparing its fleet and road maintenance staff for the upcoming winter season, conducting annual inspections on everything from our trucks to our brining equipment for snow removal. This year, those efforts will be enhanced with a new anti-icer tank purchased with a $44,800 grant from the H2Ohio Chloride Reduction Grant Program earlier this year.
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“With this expansion, we significantly increase our brine production capacity, improve route coverage, and reduce response times during winter weather events,” LCEO Road Maintenance Superintendent Albert Hilt said. “The fourth system adds valuable redundancy and flexibility—allowing multiple crews to produce and load brine simultaneously while minimizing downtime due to maintenance or system limitations.”
With the County acquiring another brine applicator, the entire 303 miles of road currently under County jurisdiction will be able to be pre-treated in 24 hours before a storm. With all roadways pre-treated, this will create more favorable conditions for snow to be mechanically removed before it can create slippery conditions and significantly reduce the use of road salts on county roads.
The H2Ohio grant is used to help local governments and agencies upgrade equipment and improve road salt management to protect Ohio waterways by reducing the amount of salt used by up to 30 percent.
“Chloride from deicers entering surface waters from roadways and stormwater runoff is an increasing water quality concern in Ohio,” said Matthew McFadden, LCEO Stormwater Supervisor, “and increased chloride levels can be detrimental to freshwater aquatic species. This grant funding enables our workforce to apply brine, a more effective and less polluting technique than standard salt application, throughout the entire county roadways 24 hours prior to a snowfall event. This equipment is a win-win situation for Lucas County’s snow and ice control practices.”
The Village of Holland also will see improvements under this grant award with the purchase of its own brine applicator. Previously, the Village could not pre-treat its roadways. With the new brine applicator, the Village will utilize this equipment to reduce the amount of road salts applied during winter storms on 12 miles of its roadways.
Governor DeWine announced the creation of the H2Ohio Chloride Reduction Grant Program in December 2023 as part of ongoing work to protect Ohio's rivers. Critical equipment eligible for grants include live-edge blades, salt spreader control systems, brine mixers, and structural upgrades to salt storage facilities to prevent ground water contamination. Municipalities, townships, counties, and other governmental agencies could apply for single grants of up to $75,000.
With the County acquiring another brine applicator, the entire 303 miles of road currently under County jurisdiction will be able to be pre-treated in 24 hours before a storm. With all roadways pre-treated, this will create more favorable conditions for snow to be mechanically removed before it can create slippery conditions and significantly reduce the use of road salts on county roads.
The H2Ohio grant is used to help local governments and agencies upgrade equipment and improve road salt management to protect Ohio waterways by reducing the amount of salt used by up to 30 percent.
“Chloride from deicers entering surface waters from roadways and stormwater runoff is an increasing water quality concern in Ohio,” said Matthew McFadden, LCEO Stormwater Supervisor, “and increased chloride levels can be detrimental to freshwater aquatic species. This grant funding enables our workforce to apply brine, a more effective and less polluting technique than standard salt application, throughout the entire county roadways 24 hours prior to a snowfall event. This equipment is a win-win situation for Lucas County’s snow and ice control practices.”
The Village of Holland also will see improvements under this grant award with the purchase of its own brine applicator. Previously, the Village could not pre-treat its roadways. With the new brine applicator, the Village will utilize this equipment to reduce the amount of road salts applied during winter storms on 12 miles of its roadways.
Governor DeWine announced the creation of the H2Ohio Chloride Reduction Grant Program in December 2023 as part of ongoing work to protect Ohio's rivers. Critical equipment eligible for grants include live-edge blades, salt spreader control systems, brine mixers, and structural upgrades to salt storage facilities to prevent ground water contamination. Municipalities, townships, counties, and other governmental agencies could apply for single grants of up to $75,000.
