POLK COUNTY (WKOW) -- In an effort to keep the ice off the roads, the Polk County Highway Department has come up with a cheesy solution.
One of the by-products of cheese making is a cheese brine solution, which helps flavor cheese. Disposing of it can present a challenge though. Polk County Highway Department has a great solution.
In December of 2009, Polk County started testing brine water on icy roads to see how the solution would perform.
Moe Norby, from the department, says they initially saved 40,000 dollars in chemical costs because cheese brine is a cheaper chemical than running magnesium chloride on the roads.
With little environmental impact, the real benefit is cheese brine's effect as it hits icy roads.
"It's a pre-wetter, it keeps the dry salt from bouncing off the roads, and we get a better burn so we can turn down out salters 30 percent to use less material," said Norby.
Recycling the brine solution also benefits F&A Dairy who supplies brine to Polk County and other surrounding areas.
