To clear ice: what's the best product?

EAST AURORA, N.Y. (WIVB) - During the winter, it's hard to get rid of that icy buildup that coats our sidewalks and many do not maintain the sidewalks in front of their homes or businesses.

According to Village of East Aurora Mayor Allan Kasprzak, "We're running into the same problem. The same thing over and over, where some people take care of their properties and some people take responsibility for their properties and others don't."

There are liability issues for property owners who do not clear sidewalks and driveways within a reasonable period after a storm has ended.

"There are a number of materials out there, Calcium Chloride, there's stuff that I use at my house called Lava Melt. I use it on the roof of my house to take the ice dams away," added Mayor Kasprzak.

Highway departments use Magnesium Chloride during colder periods and even a beet juice solution is being applied to the Thruway around Albany and Syracuse.

On Friday, News 4 did our own experiment on the sidewalk in front of the Presbyterian Church in East Aurora. We dropped some rock salt and some all-purpose sand in separate areas. About a half hour later, there was really no melting going on where the sand was deposited. You obviously get a little bit of traction out that, but where the rock salt was dropped, we started to see a few holes.

It was a mild day and you might have thought there would be more melting, but it's a slow process and the packed ice and snow on the sidewalk was quite thick.

Sidewalks in the village business district were clear. On the other hand some of the walkways on side streets were treacherous. But if you don't maintain your sidewalks, there could be consequences. Fines could reach $250.

"One community that I found that was kind of interesting, they take a photo now with computer cameras. Now of course after they take that photo, they have a date and time. They take that photo and they include the summons or ticket, whatever you want to call it and send it right to the owner of the house," added Kasprzak.

Not to confuse the issue, but village officials recommend not using large amounts of salt. It's not good for dog paws and can result in tree damage. And even the sand can be an issue. Too much of it can clog sewer drains. So it's best to apply melting or traction agents, but within reason.