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Jersey Breaks Out the Pickle Juice to Melt Snow
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 26, 2011
Modified Jan 26, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 26, 2011
Modified Jan 26, 2011
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Today's snowstorm isn't getting Bergen County in a pickle; they're having a brine time removing the snow with a liquid more commonly found in a jar at the deli. CBS 2 reports that the county is using a salt/water mixture that resembles pickle juice instead of the more upscale road salt. "We actually pre-spray the properties, the sidewalks, the parking lots as a preventative before the snow is uncontrollable," says Bergen County Public Works Director Joe Crifasi. The special tincture costs just 7 cents a gallon compared to $63 a ton for salt, and the savings make a difference because Bergen County has already used up $3 million of its $4 million snow budget. If it works for Jersey, could it happen here?
Mayor Bloomberg has made no secret of his contempt for salt, and the city has already gone overbudget on snow removal because of Blizzageddon. This might seem like a low-cost solution, but what happens if the pickle juice simply turns to ice before the the snow melts? The city might end up spending more money toasting slices of rye bread to lay on top of it. The fact is, there's no easy solution to this snowy mess—besides Spring, if that ever happens. Across the city residents are getting pretty tired of all this, and Lisa Frazier of Harlem speaks for many when she tells CBS, "I’d rather be here than in California with earthquakes, but I wish it would stop." Yeah, cut the shit, Winter!
Tagged
bergen county
pickle juice
snow
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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