Did you know that it only takes one teaspoon of road salt to permanently pollute five gallons of water to a level that is toxic for freshwater ecosystems? While salt application to roadways is a common practice for driver safety, the excess salt may pollute streams and lakes making it difficult for fish, frogs, mussels, insects and waterfowl to survive.
Over time, this increase may impact hunting, fishing and recreational use of lakes and rivers. When public water systems use these water sources, human intake of salt may increase. Desalination technology is very expensive and may be impractical in many cases. Salt products used during winter maintenance can also corrode vehicles, damage vegetation, and contaminate private drinking water wells near roadways.
In response to these issues, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources created the H2Ohio program with the goal to improve Ohio’s water resources for future generations. The program’s focus is to address road salt impacts. Learn more about it here: https://h2.ohio.gov/governor-dewine-announces-new-grant-program-to-reduce-road-salt-runoff-water-contamination/
Avoiding slips, trips and falls, and maintaining safe paved surfaces while mitigating impacts is also important. This is why everyone should learn to be salt smart. Watch a short video from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency about the right way to salt driveways and sidewalks. .
Take-home messages include:
- Shovel first, then salt. Do not use salt in place of shoveling.
- Use only the effective amount of salt. Grains should be three inches apart. One cup of salt will cover a 20-foot driveway.
- Use salt only where and when necessary.
- Sweep up any residual salt once the ice has melted and before the next rainfall event.
- Use salt sparingly at temperatures above 15 degrees.
If you live in an area where a snow removal service provider or property management company takes care of your walkways or driveways, see the link below for forms from the Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District to share with them. https://www.franklinswcd.org/be-salt-smart
Current winter salt usage is not sustainable for our local freshwater ecology or human consumption. Let’s build resiliency by learning how to stay safe and protect our natural resources through salting smartly. The information in this article was sourced from the references below.
References/ Further Reading:
www.franklinswcd.org/be-salt-smart
https://h2.ohio.gov/governor-dewine-announces-new-grant-program-to-reduce-road-salt-runoff-water-contamination/
https://www.pca.state.mn.us/pollutants-and-contaminants/chloride
&t=5s
https://www.cleanlakesalliance.org/being-salt-wise/