Dive Deep into Salt Issues
Click below for a detailed summary of Issues related to salt pollution. Summary covers 16 topics, each explained in half to a full page, and includes sources for further reading. Topics range from Impacts on the Environment and Infrastructure to a detailed rundown of Best Management Practices for Winter Maintenance Teams. Additionally, the booklet features a FAQ section and a summary of our Salt Snapshot Results.
BMP clip taken from
Front Ecol Environ 2022; 20(1): 22-30, doi:10.1002/fee.2433
Conversation Cafe - Sample Documents
As part of the Jan. 16, POWR Conversation Cafe, LLWS has made available some sample documents.
List of organizations in attendance
Word document with 8 Facebook posts we made on salt. (These are conversation starter for how we can make a simple series of Media posts for other groups to use.)
List of salt purchases made by the local governments in each PA county. Find out how much salt was put on your counties roads by local government.
Conversation with Lake George Assoc.
Look this week as we will take this link down shortly.
What Can You Do?
First of all, be aware of the quantity of salt that you apply to your driveway and sidewalks in wintertime. You can reduce the amount you need by shoveling regularly. When you apply the salt, use about 12 ounces for a 20-foot driveway, or 10 sidewalk paving squares. Sweep up any leftover salt.
Volunteer to help combat oversalting; click the button below. More voices on salt are needed.
Speak up when you notice excessive salt use in your community (work, school, places of worship, shopping areas). If you live in a development that uses a private contractor for winter maintenance, pay attention to how much road salt is being used, and if it appears to be excessive, bring it to the attention of your homeowners’ association.
What Municipalities Can Do
By using best management practices, it is possible for a municipality to reduce road salt usage by 50% and save taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars in materials and labor costs. Watch the documentary “The Road Map to Road Salt Reduction” to see how this was done in New York State:
https://salt.lakegeorgeassociation.org/
To find out more, use links to explore other Salt Resources.
Carey Institute of Ecosystem Studies – Road Salt: The problem, the Solution, and How to Get There
https://www.caryinstitute.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report_road_salt.pdf
Video: Salt Impacts on Water Quality – John Jackson, Stroud Water Research Center
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of4hpuFzgn0
Izaak Walton League of America Salt Watch – What you can do
https://www.iwla.org/water/stream-monitoring/salt-watch/what-you-can-do
Trout Unlimited Valley Forge salt pollution webpage
https://www.valleyforgetu.org/resources/whitepapers/road-salt/
Take the Izaak Walton Leagues Salt Quiz to see what you have learned
https://www.iwla.org/water/stream-monitoring/salt-watch/saltwatchquiz