Ohio EPA Awards Avon Lake $75,000 in grant funding to implement salt brining
05/12/2026 – Avon Lake, Ohio –The City of Avon Lake was awarded $75,000 in the second round of grant funding by Ohio EPA’s new H2Ohio Rivers Chloride Reduction Grant Program. The City’s Public Works Department has completed installation of a new salt brining system, reducing the need for solid rock salt to keep Avon Lake’s roads clear during winter snowstorms. Salt brine is utilized for pre-wetting salt prior to applying it to roadways. Because of its water content, salt brine activates rock salt and starts working right away to melt snow and ice, while solid rock salt must first absorb moisture from the air or snow. Two City trucks have been outfitted with salt brining equipment, and two additional trucks will be outfitted in 2027.
“Treating rock salt with salt brine is a more proactive and effective way to approach winter driver safety,” said Avon Lake Public Works Director Jon Liskovec. “Salt brines are now used by most transportation agencies because they are proven to be more effective on roadways while also being more cost effective. It takes far less salt to prevent ice accumulation than it does to remove ice after it has been formed. This new equipment will enhance the city’s ability to respond to snow and ice events and effectively provide a cost savings at the same time.”
The H2Ohio Rivers Program is an expansion of Governor DeWine’s H2Ohio initiative which provides grant support to upgrade equipment and salt storage facilities. The program aims to reduce excessive road salt usage and encourage communities and jurisdictions responsible for winter road and surface maintenance to adopt salt best management practices. Applicants for these grants were able to apply for funding for either new salt equipment or storage facility construction to help alleviate costs to local governments across Ohio.
Recent water quality testing has shown that Ohio’s waterways are seeing an increase in salt concentrations, primarily due to the use of road salt. Water that is contaminated with road salt requires additional treatment. Road salt also corrodes infrastructure like bridges and shortens the life of paved surfaces.
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