By Janice Morse
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Old Man Winter can be a mighty foe - and he hit Greater Cincinnati hard last time around.

With the 2003-04 season's first significant snowfall predicted to hit as soon as today, road crews are undaunted.

They have pumped up their arsenals with tons of rock salt - and, in a growing number of places, a new liquid ammunition: brine.

"We just bought a brine maker ... and we already were out pre-treating the roads this week," said Scott Bressler, operations deputy for the Butler County Engineer's Office.

Brine - salt dissolved in water - helps stop snow and ice from bonding to pavement. While rock salt uses a combination of moisture and traffic to become effective, brine starts melting ice and snow immediately - and it can be applied well in advance of a storm, cutting down on overtime.

The Ohio Department of Transportation and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet also use brine. Last year, Kentucky District 6 used brine in a few counties - and was so successful, "now every county has a holding tank," said Nancy Wood, cabinet spokeswoman.

Winter doesn't officially arrive until Dec. 22, but snow falls as early as late October in Greater Cincinnati, said Myron Padgett, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Wilmington.

The area's first measurable snow arrived Nov. 29, eight days later than average, Padgett said. And that totaled only 0.2 of an inch; we're now behind by about 2 inches, compared to average years, Padgett said.

If snow does fall as predicted tonight, it should be "no more than 1 or 2 inches," he said.

In some places, including Middletown, you might notice salt sporting a new hue: blue.

The coloring serves a dual purpose: preventing salt from clumping, and helping salt-truck drivers see "the coverage and spray pattern," said Arthur Baer, Middletown maintenance systems director.

"Old Man Winter is not our friend," said Diane Watkins, assistant superintendent of operations for Cincinnati's traffic and road operations. "But we'll meet him head-on with everything we have."

E-mail jmorse@enquirer.com