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The new MS4 General Permit, issued November 16, 2020, includes new requirements for MS4 permittees aimed at reducing chloride pollution, including:
- Education and outreach about the environmental harm posed by excessive salt use
- Implement a written snow and ice management policy
- Require annual training, for those who perform winter maintenance activities for the permittee, such as staff or those they hire
- Proper deicing salt storage practices
If you are an MS4 permittee, one way to get started towards meeting the new requirements is to have your winter maintenance staff, or those you contract for winter maintenance, attend an MPCA Smart Salting Certification training event. The trainings touch on the new requirements and offers practical and technical information for better application and maintenance practices, salt storage, policy examples, and resources for community outreach.
In addition, MS4 permittees subject to a chloride TMDL with an applicable waste load allocation (WLA) must conduct an annual winter maintenance operations assessment to assist in identifying deicing salt reduction opportunities on permittee owned/operated surfaces. The Minnesota Stormwater Manual offers guidance for these requirements. Actively completing the Smart Salting Assessment tool (SSAt) is one way to satisfy the requirements under the new MS4 General Permit (item 22.6).
Upcoming MPCA Smart Salting Certification Training opportunities:
Smart Salting Assessment tool (SSAt) - Level 2
Learn how to best use the online Smart Salting Assessment tool (SSAt) which assists organizations in finding opportunities to improve winter maintenance practices to reduce salt use and save money. It offers personalized targeted opportunities and tracks annual implementation progress.
Who: Public and private winter maintenance managers and supervisors, business owners, superintendents, and other lead winter maintenance staff.
When: Tuesday April 20, 2021 Register HERE hosted by Dakota County
Parking Lots & Sidewalks
Learn practical, more efficient winter maintenance practices for parking lots and sidewalks that can help save on costs and time, while minimizing environmental impacts.
Who: Private maintenance companies, public and private property owners that maintain their own surfaces or hire maintenance contractors, such as city parks, hospitals, and colleges.
When: Tuesday, April 27, 2021 Register HERE hosted by Nine Mile Creek Watershed District
Property Management
Learn how to reduce costly indoor and outdoor infrastructure damage to your properties caused by salt use, know if your maintenance crew is using sustainable practices, discuss liability/regulation issues, resources for managing customer expectations, and more.
Who: Management-level property managers, business owners, environmental professionals, MS4 permit staff, public works directors, and local government decision-makers.
When:
- Tuesday, May 11, 2021 Register HERE hosted by Nine Mile Creek and Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed Districts
- Tuesday, June 8, 2021 Register for this date by emailing Angela Bourdaghs hosted by the MPCA
Roads Training
Learn how to integrate science with practical winter maintenance on roads while minimizing impacts on the environment. Covers technical aspects such as application rates, calibration, using weather conditions to more accurately plan and apply, converting to de-icing and anti-icing, storage, and more.
Who: City, county, or state plow drivers
When: Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Register HERE hosted by Nine Mile Creek Watershed District and the City of Minnetonka
Questions about trainings? Contact MPCA Smart Salting Training Coordinator Angela Bourdaghs at angela.bourdaghs@state.mn.us or 651-757-2176. The MPCA water permit holders and chloride webpage offers a more detailed summary of all chloride related requirements.
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