MWMO Newsletter - February 2024 - The Salt Issue 🧂

Mississippi Watershed Management Organization sent this bulletin at 02/28/2024 01:01 PM CST

NEWSLETTER / FEBRUARY 2024

Our Road Salt Problem, by the Numbers
How We Can Stop Over-Salting
Job Opening: Water Resources Data Analyst
Job Opening: Water Quality Monitoring Intern
Upcoming Event: Art and Science on the River—Buckthorn
Upcoming Event: MPCA Turfgrass Maintenance Certification Training
Photo of the Month

Our Road Salt Problem, by the Numbers

A bike lane caked with road salt on East River Parkway in St. Paul.

Our record-smashing warm winter hasn't spared Minnesota's waterways from one of our most vexing pollutants: salt.

Each winter brings a deluge of chloride into Minnesota’s lakes and rivers. This toxic chemical comes from the road salt and other deicing chemicals we use on our roads, parking lots and driveways.

The problem: Once it’s there, it stays there forever, slowly making our rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands uninhabitable for most freshwater life forms.

By the numbers:

1 teaspoon — amount of salt that permanently pollutes 5 gallons of fresh water
445,000 tons — amount of road salt used annually in Minnesota
78 percent — amount of road salt that ends up in our groundwater or surface waters
67 — number of Minnesota waterbodies currently listed as impaired due to chloride

Source: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)

How We Can Stop Over-Salting

A Minnesota Department of Transportation snow plow spreading road salt. (Credit: MPCA)

More salt does not mean safer streets. There’s a science as to when, how and which deicing chemicals should be used — or not used — to maximize safety and minimize pollution. We need a multi-pronged approach to put an end to over-salting.

On the micro level:

Practice smart salting at home and spread the word among your neighbors, family and friends.
Encourage local businesses to hire a maintenance contractor or property manager who is MPCA smart salting certified.

On the macro level:

Snow plows outfitted with high-tech smart salting equipment — like the one MWMO helped Fridley purchase in 2019 — keep roads safer using less salt.
Proposed smart salting legislation could reduce pressure on contractors to over-apply salt products.
Low-salt design is a new approach to building infrastructure that maximizes sunlight and drainage to minimize the need for deicing chemicals.
Free smart salting training and certification is available for snow plow drivers, maintenance contractors and property owners.

Job Openings at MWMO

Water Resources Data Analyst

MWMO staff capturing water quality data from a boat in the Mississippi River.

The MWMO is seeking a Water Resources Data Analyst. This position is responsible for leveraging environmental data collected by MWMO monitoring staff to produce technical products that inform and support the organization’s programs and initiatives.

The starting salary range for this position is $65,000-$75,000 annually, with a flexible schedule of 40 hours of work per week and a competitive benefits package.

Applications are due March 17.

Learn More >

Water Quality Monitoring Intern

Close-up of using a Van Dorn sampler to collect a water quality sample from the Mississippi River.

Gain valuable experience and help protect the Mississippi River by joining the MWMO as a Water Quality Monitoring Intern for the summer of 2024!

This full-time internship (30-40 hours per week) will run from May to August, with flexible starting and ending dates. It pays $18-$19 per hour based on experience.

Applications are due March 10.

Learn More >

Upcoming Events

Art and Science on the River: Buckthorn

📅Saturday, March 23, 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Join us for a hands-on workshop where we explore the impacts of buckthorn on the Mississippi River with artist Kimberly Boustead and ecologist Alex Roth.

Learn to make charcoal from buckthorn branches harvested from the banks of the Mississippi River and use it to create your own art. This workshop is a collaborative effort between the MWMO and Friends of the Mississippi River.

The event is free, but registration is required.

Register Here >

MPCA Turfgrass Maintenance Certification Training

Worker in high-visibility clothes using a trimmer on a turfgrass lawn.

📅Tuesday, March 26, 8 a.m.–1:30 p.m. (Online)

The MWMO is hosting a Turfgrass Maintenance Certification Training in partnership with the MPCA and Bolton & Menk.

This training focuses on best management practices for lawn/turf maintenance that can save money while protecting lakes and streams. Turf care professionals will learn a lot in this interactive, online training and have the opportunity to take the certification test upon completion of the course.

Register Here >

Photo of the Month

Ice-covered plants along the shoreline of the Mississippi River.

Ice-covered plants glimmer in the sunrise along the shore of the Mississippi River in the MWMO's backyard Feb. 28, 2024. The Lowry Avenue Bridge and the downtown Minneapolis skyline are visible in the background.

See more great photos on our Flickr photostream.

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