MPCA Smart Salting certification trainings:

• Parking Lots and Sidewalks
• Roads
• Property Management
• Smart Salting Assessment Tool

The MPCA Smart Salting training program ofers four specialized certification trainings - Find out which best suits your needs, discover local trainings, and identify certified public and private individuals near you.

We also provide a free, online Smart Salting Assessment Tool – Filled with 180 best management practices,  and offers a calculator for monitoring and projecting potential salt reduction and cost savings. 

Salt Symposium 2020

Mark your calendars for the 20th Annual Salt Symposium in Medina, MN on August 5, 2020!

Topics: The latest chloride research and innovations, water softening, dust control, fertilizers, and more.

There is a unique opportunity to stay and take advantage of either a 'Roads' or 'Parking Lots and Sidewalks' Smart Salting training offered the next day! 

Registration for the symposium opens in March. Visit the Salt Symposium website for sponsor and vendor information. 

Wright County Highway Department seeks alternatives for de-icing roads

Wright County has been cutting back on salt usage for more than a decade, as its highway department continually evaluates new products. Wright County Highway Maintenance Superintendent Steve Meyer has seen a lot of different snow/ice removal products come and go. They are continuing to adapt and experiment with new mixes, at the same time using more liquids in line with industry trends. 'We struggle in Minnesota because of the cold temperatures.' he adds. 'There has been a growing backlash about using salt to de-ice roads. It gets into the water system one way or another.'

“We’ve taken a lot of training on what the MPCA calls ‘smart salting,’” Meyer said. Meyer said the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has ramped up its effort to get state, county and city plow trucks to use less salt, but the first alternative offered is trying to clear snow and ice the old-fashioned way – heavy scraping.

Meyer said that the combination of environmental concerns, advancements in scientific technology and individual ingenuity have helped transform the winter road treatment industry. 

Read the full press release featured last week in The Monticello Times. 

Public and private maintenance professionals across Minnesota are working to prevent permanent chloride pollution in our lakes and streams by reducing road salt use. They are also working to increase public awareness on salt safety, the real cost of using road salt, and the environmental impacts. Watershed districts play a key role in consumer chloride education, and many provide local resources to help meet the need. MPCA features their work and many other public education resources:

• Posters, postcards, and other printables
• Videos
• Press releases
• Water softening resources
• Partner resource links

Visit the Statewide chloride resources webpage for more. Not finding what you need? Contact smartsalting.pca@state.mn.us with chloride inquiries.