Ohio offering funds to help improve road salt storage and distribution practices.

The state of Ohio is offering funds to help improve road salt storage and distribution practices, and Williams County plans on applying for them. The funds are being made available through the state’s H2Ohio Chloride Reduction Grant Program, which will award $1 million dollars to local municipalities for equipment upgrades, aimed at preventing over application of salt on Ohio roads…and reducing the amount of salt running off into Ohio’s streams, rivers and lakes. Heavy salt runoff can be toxic to aquatic life and can also pollute drinking water sources, according to the OEPA. This can lead to higher treatment costs and infrastructure corrosion. The program allows municipalities, townships, counties and other government agencies to apply for up to $75,000. Officials say Williams County has 1,200-1,400 tons of road salt on hand for the coming winter, and is contracted for 2,300 more tons through the season. Williams County mostly uses rock salt for deicing on roads, rather than the brine mixture used by some others, including the Ohio Department of Transportation.