City of Edmonton considering return of controversial calcium chloride

The City of Edmonton is considering the return of calcium chloride as a way to deal with the intense snow and ice buildup in the winter.

The anti-icing agent was highly controversial in Edmonton when the city used it on arterial and collector roads in 2017 and 2018.

The potential re-introduction of the controversial compound was mentioned in the city’s snow and ice policy report released to the public on Thursday.

“We are also responding to two motions from councillors earlier on in the year,” said Valerie Dacyk, the city’s supervisor of snow and ice control.

“One of them specifically asked us to look into the positives and negatives of calcium chloride, so this is that response.”

The city ran the pilot program for two years but stopped using the de-icing agent in 2019 after increased concerns about damage to vehicles, concrete and infrastructure.

The solution was applied in a thin layer once per snowfall and designed to prevent snow from sticking to the pavement.

It has a lower freezing point than sodium chloride — salt — making it easier for crews to remove snow from the streets.

Chemical engineers and mechanics expressed concerns about vehicle rust and corrosion as result of the calcium chloride.

While the province has been using calcium chloride on Anthony Henday Drive for years, the ring road is often dry because high vehicle speeds blow snow off the road — whereas lower speeds on city streets can lead to wet accumulation of calcium chloride on vehicles, which then creep into vehicle parts.

Local auto experts say seven years later, they’re still dealing with the damage caused by calcium chloride.

“It’s very highly corrosive, so we’re finding a lot of vehicle rust, suspension and steering components are rusting, corroding and breaking,” said Michael Bauman of Mike the Mechanic.

Bauman believes it would be in the best interest of vehicle owners if the city uses sand or salt instead of the chemical compound.

“Calcium chloride, it absorbs the moisture, so it holds the moisture in.