PA Road Salt Action State Working Group

LLWS lead a Conversation Cafe on Jan. 16, hosted by POWR. From that meeting a PA Working Group focused on Road Salt Reduction and outreach has been formed and meets monthly. With no regulations to guide the use of chlorides or its impact, reducing excess salt use in PA will require many volunteers speaking out. We need to have thousands of conversation about salt use. Will you join this effort? Contact us to join a LV group or the statewide working group.

LLWS has made available some sample documents for those interested in working collaboratively.

  • List of organizations attending Cafe. Slides from event.

  • WG meeting agendas and followup, Sample Facebook posts on salt your group can use.

  • List of salt purchases made by the local governments in each PA county (summary to right>>).

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

 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 over salting; use “contact us” button. More voices on salt are needed.

Speak up when you notice excessive salt use in your community (work, school, places of worship, shopping areas).  Ask to speak to Manager or Facility Maintenance Team and voice your concerns about excess salt use. 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