MONROE - The Green County Highway Department and Grande Cheese are working out a plan to use brine from cheesemaking on county roads next winter.
Using Grande brine would save the county about $7,000 annually, estimates Jeff Wunschel, highway commissioner.
Grande has "no plan for charging," he said.
Currently the county mixes about 50,000 gallons of brine solution every winter at a cost of about 16 cents per gallon. When applied with salt on roads, the brine reduces salt usage by about 30 percent by cutting down on the salt's "bounce and scatter," Wunschel said.
The Grande cheese factory in Juda produces about 3,500 gallons of waste brine per week. The brine it gives to the county may need to be watered down to a salt concentration appropriate for road usage.
Wunschel discussed the brine plan at a meeting earlier this week with county supervisors, who agreed it could be a "win-win" for the county and Grande.
A spokesperson for Grande, Nancy Witkowski, declined to comment on specifics until a plan is solidified.
The target date for filling county brine tanks is October, pending approval of a Department of Natural Resources permit and other paperwork and logistical planning.
One aspect of the reciprocal brine plan remains unknown.
"We don't know if it'll smell like cheese or not," Wunschel joked.
Using Grande brine would save the county about $7,000 annually, estimates Jeff Wunschel, highway commissioner.
Grande has "no plan for charging," he said.
Currently the county mixes about 50,000 gallons of brine solution every winter at a cost of about 16 cents per gallon. When applied with salt on roads, the brine reduces salt usage by about 30 percent by cutting down on the salt's "bounce and scatter," Wunschel said.
The Grande cheese factory in Juda produces about 3,500 gallons of waste brine per week. The brine it gives to the county may need to be watered down to a salt concentration appropriate for road usage.
Wunschel discussed the brine plan at a meeting earlier this week with county supervisors, who agreed it could be a "win-win" for the county and Grande.
A spokesperson for Grande, Nancy Witkowski, declined to comment on specifics until a plan is solidified.
The target date for filling county brine tanks is October, pending approval of a Department of Natural Resources permit and other paperwork and logistical planning.
One aspect of the reciprocal brine plan remains unknown.
"We don't know if it'll smell like cheese or not," Wunschel joked.