MILWAUKEE, Wi — Wisconsin is known for producing cheese, but now the state is taking its cheese industry to the next level, it’s battling icy roads with cheese by-product.
According to the New York Times, Wisconsin road crews are mixing rock salt and cheese brine to treat the state’s icy roads, as a way to cut costs and to stem pollution.
Facts
The Times reports that Wisconsin produced 2.7 billion pounds of cheese in 2012. With that much cheese comes a surplus of cheese brine.
Cheese producing companies are saving money by giving the brine to communities who will take it, rather than shipping the brine to landfills.
Polk County, a user of the cheese brine, estimates it saved $40,000 in rock salt in 2009.
In 2012, Milwaukee used 44,000 tons of salt, spending nearly $6.5 million on snow and ice management.
The program will cost Milwaukee about $6,500.
» Via: The New York Times » Pouring Cheese on Icy Roads in (Where Else>) Wisconsin
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Road salt, calcium, brine…these corrosives are playing HAVOC with Ohioans’ brake and fuel lines. ODOT is using some pellets and/or potion on state highways which really tears up metal. Ohio has now surpassed states like MN, MI, and WI for under-body corrosion. Ask your local truck dealer; they will tell you road salt is a bonanza for their repair/replacement business.
PLEASE! Take the time to inspect your brake and fuel lines on your vehicles.
Or, you’ll wind up like me–hauling a very heavy load in a pickup truck and when you hit the brakes, they go to the floor with zero braking power, nada, null. Got me more gray hair real quick like.
Many pickups (like mine) have the factory-installed main brake line threaded thru the chassis frame longways. Replacement means either dropping the fuel tanks or lifting the bed to get at these lines. Only a few very talented Houdini-mechanics can remove and re-thread brake lines without these major efforts. If you can find one, hang on to him!
Bottom line: dealer wanted $1,200.00 to replace just one line, saying it’s a 10 hr. flat rate job, plus factory parts.
Guess what yours truly has been doing in the barn this holiday?
I agree with Seasoned_Citizen, the stuff ODOT sprays on the the roads for deicing is destroying vehicles. What I also see is contaminated ground water and why is ODOT exempt from lawsuits when the brake line fails or the frame rots in half. I have seen may cars looking like junk in as little as six years! There has to be a better solution to cleaning icy roads. Just my 2 cents..