Experimenting

Pre-wetting is a commonly used practice to improve retention and keep salt on the road by reducing the effects of bouncing, blowing and sliding of the salt or sand particles. This technique uses salt brine, liquid calcium chloride or other liquid chemical to wet the salt as it is spread on the road.
Spraying stockpiles and truck loads has also been termed pre-wetting or “pre-treating”, but this past practice is not as practical since the granules are not uniformly coated, the liquid may drain out of the solid material and the performance on the road is not consistent throughout the route. Therefore, pre-wetting should be done by spraying the salt as it is discharged from the chute, or at the spinner.

Pre-wetting provides significant potential for reductions in salt use but can increase the complexity of the required equipment and controller.

Any attempt by the City to pre-wet would be considered purely experimental until the proper equipment was being used.