By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – A new type of road salt could save the city of Buffalo thousands of dollars.
Masten District Council Member Antoine Thompson and the city's Department of Public Works tested the product Monday morning at the corner of Main Street at Northland Avenue. David Cook is with The Innovative Group, maker of the new salt. It is called "Magic Minus Zero." Cook says it is most effective in temperatures below 20 degrees.
"It's a blend of magnesium chloride and a distillate of alcohol, creating a material that melts snow and ice very quickly," Cook said.
When used with new electronic spreaders, it would reduce the amount of salt by as much as 50 percent. Council member Thompson says it could save the city about $200,000 per year. He is optimistic Buffalo will agree to begin using the new product, possibly by next winter.
"Not only will we save money on the purchase of the Magic Salt product, we'll save money on the corrosion of personal and city owned vehicles," Thompson said. "We'll also save money on road repairs."
Thompson said it would also be better for the environment.