Liquid Snow and Ice Removal—Cheaper, Faster, Sustainable

Marilyn Witney

When it snows, Tim Caldwell is used to plowing five million or more square feet of parking and roadway space for a single client. With jobs this size, Caldwell knows snow and ice removal.

Caldwell, a landscape architect and owner of The Savanna Group in North Aurora, has built a reputation for unique landscapes and custom stonework installations — and for using liquid snow and ice removal techniques for the winter snow removal services he provides for his own customers and large projects he subcontracts from other landscapers.

Ten years ago, as the cost of salt began to rise exponentially, Caldwell began experimenting with liquid calcium chloride solutions in order to reduce his use of salt. With just one prewetting of his salt loads, he could reduce his salt usage by 30 percent. But that’s not all.

The blend of liquid calcium chloride Caldwell uses for the prewetting is a brine made of CaCl plus organic additions of beet juice, a cornbased additive and a derivative of rum distillation. Byproducts of this combination are safe for the environment so that turf and plants are less damaged and soil contamination and runoff to streams and waterways are decreased.

Prewetting salt loads also keeps salt on the pavement instead of bouncing it to turf. It also jump-starts the brine process right on the truck and works better in lower temperatures. Three years ago, Caldwell moved to 100 percent liquid for snow and ice management. In his first year, he saved $300,000 in material costs, and this went directly to his bottom line. More importantly, says Caldwell, “This is a sustainable method. We’re damaging our precious water … and if our industry doesn’t do something about this, the EPA will surely mandate changes very soon.”

Clients like it too. With the liquid, plowing can be right down to the asphalt which eliminates ice. Even though less product is used, liquid has a multi-day residual impact and works all the way down to -20 degrees. It’s a method that’s good for everyone.

Retooling traditional equipment is not expensive and the cost of the liquid product is comparable to salt, Caldwell says. He now has launched Liquid Ice Melt Solutions to distribute the liquid, and he serves as consultant for snow management contractors eager to try this product.

You can learn more at www.liquidicemeltsolutions.com

Marilyn Witney is a member of MELA and the chair of the Communication Committee.

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