St. Paul, Minn. – As Minnesota begins to deal with heavy snowfall and cold temperatures, most of us will rely on a crucial tool to clear the
roads and sidewalks: salt. It is estimated that we use more than 350,000 tons
of salt on the metro area roads, parking lots and sidewalks annually.
According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), our waters
should follow the advice our doctors have been giving for years: stick to a low-salt
diet. Rock salt, which contains chloride, is the most commonly used de-icer. But, much like table salt, rock salt’s benefits are
peppered with danger. Salt saves icy roads but can have the opposite effect on
the nearby environment. Its public safety benefits come with environmental
drawbacks like polluted waters and poisoned aquatic wildlife.
In the Twin Cities metro area, 78 percent of the salt applied to roads
stays within the region’s watershed. Chloride from salt eventually finds its
way into the groundwater. Once in the water, it becomes a permanent pollutant
and continues to accumulate in the environment over time. In other words it
doesn’t melt or go away.
High levels of salt can be harmful to fish and other
freshwater life and can affect groundwater
and drinking water supplies, infrastructure, vehicles, plants, soil, pets, and
wildlife.
“Too much
chloride has serious water quality consequences.” said Brooke Asleson, chloride
project manager at the MPCA. “Less is more when it comes to applying deicing
salt. It only takes one teaspoon of road salt to pollute five gallons of water.”
To address these issues the MPCA partnered with local and state experts in
the 7-County Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (TCMA) to create a plan for
effectively managing salt use to protect our water resources in a responsible
and strategic approach. The goal of this plan is to provide strategies to help
local partners reduce salt use while providing safe conditions for the public.
Improving practices for de-icing roads, parking lots and sidewalks will
not only benefit water quality, but also lead to long-term cost-savings as a
result of purchasing less salt and reduced impacts on vegetation and corrosion
of infrastructure and vehicles.
A key challenge in reducing salt
usage is balancing the need for public safety with the growing expectation for
clear, dry roads, parking lots, and sidewalks throughout the winter. Notable
efforts to improve winter maintenance and reducing salt usage while maintaining
public safety have already been made by a number of winter maintenance
organizations. The intent of the plan is to build on those efforts and to assist
agencies, local governments and other stakeholders to determine salt reduction
strategies to restore and protect Minnesota’s water resources.
How can you make a difference?
Currently,
there are no satisfactory alternatives to salt that are environmentally safe,
effective and inexpensive. However, we can reduce salt at the source through
application strategies.
Each person contributes to the attitudes and practices
that have created a high and steadily growing volume of salt that is used each
year. Citizens set the expectation that winter maintenance crews must meet, and
they use salt on personal property such as sidewalks and driveways in the
winter. Below are a few simple steps the public can take to protect water
resources.
Support
smart salting. Support local and state winter maintenance crews in their
efforts to reduce salt use.
Shovel first.
The more snow and ice you remove, the less salt you will have to use and
the more effective it can be. After the ice has been broken up, you can decide
whether deicer is even necessary to maintain traction.
Apply
salt before the storm. Salting before can prevent snow and ice
from building up on roads, therefore reducing overall salt use.
Slow down. Drive for winter conditions, and
be courteous to slow-moving plows. The slower they drive, the more salt will
stay on the road where it’s needed.
More salt does not mean more melting. Use less than four pounds of salt per 1,000 square feet (an average
parking space is about 150 square feet). One pound of salt is approximately a
heaping 12-ounce coffee mug. And be patient: salt takes time to work. Applying
more will lead to unnecessary contamination.
15 degrees is too cold for most salt to work. Most salts stop working at this temperature. In frigid conditions, use
sand for traction.
Sweep up extra salt. If salt or sand is visible on dry
pavement, it is no longer doing any work and will be washed away. The
excess can be swept up and reused for the next snow or disposed of in the
trash.
Your actions matter. Get involved. The public has a
critical role in helping solve this challenge of providing safe winter travel
conditions and protecting our valuable water resources.
For more on what you can do to reduce chloride in our waters, or to read
more about MPCA’s role on this issue, visit the agency’s Twin Cities Metro Area Chloride Project webpage.
Broadcast version
As Minnesota begins to experience snowfall and cold temperatures, most of us will rely on a crucial tool to clear the
roads and sidewalks: salt. It is estimated that we use more than 350,000 tons
of salt on the metro area roads, parking lots and sidewalks annually.
Road salt, which contains chloride, enters our surface
waters and groundwater after snow melts. Once in the water, salt becomes a permanent
pollutant and causes harms to fish, insects and plants.
There are many ways to reduce salt use while maintaining high safety
standards. One is shoveling. The more
snow and ice you remove manually, the less salt you will have to use and the
more effective it can be.
Remember, most salts stop working when the temperature drops below 15
degrees. For more winter maintenance tips, visit the M-P-C-A website at p-c-a
dot state dot m-n dot u-s.
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The mission of the MPCA is to protect and improve the environment and enhance human health.
St. Paul • Brainerd • Detroit Lakes • Duluth • Mankato • Marshall • Rochester • Willmar www.pca.state.mn.us • Toll-free and TDD 800-657-3864
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