H2Ohio Rivers Chloride Reduction Program

Granville Township Road’s District was awarded $75,000 in May 2025 through the H2Ohio Rivers Chloride Reduction Grant. The funding was used to purchase a Varitech HCSB-700 brine maker with automatic salinity controls. Our goal with this grant is to reduce our salt usage by 30%, use a more consistent environmentally friendly product that allows us to maintain safe winter driving conditions.  The Township is responsible for maintaining approximately 77 lane miles.

The Township uses trucks equipped with either brine tanks, used to pretreat and to treat the roadways during the snow removal process or pre-wetting systems that spray the brine onto the salt when it comes out of the truck before it is applied to the roads.  The prewetting sytems are used to reduce the amount of salt that hits the road and bounces off.  It also activates the salt making it work faster and more effectively.  Studies show that prewetting systems alone can reduce salt usage by 20% or more, decreasing the runoff into our local waterways and reducing the amount of salt the Township needs to purchase annually to keeps the roads clear of snow and ice.

The Ohio EPA has found that salt levels continue to rise in Ohio’s waterways, largely from the use of salt on the roads.  Thanks to The H2Ohio Rivers Chloride Reduction Grant, Granville Township is taking proactive steps with other Ohio communities to protect our rivers and improve water quality.

To learn more about the H2Ohio Rivers program, visit H2Ohio | Ohio.gov (https://h2.ohio.gov/)