Cut down on winter salting
Winter Salt Awareness Week, Jan. 22-26, is held to show the impacts of too much salt. Although salt keeps Wisconsin roads safe during winter, using more salt than needed comes at a price.
In Wisconsin and much of the U.S., chlorides from salt are infiltrating lakes, streams and groundwater. According to Wisconsin Salt Wise, one teaspoon of salt is all it takes to make five gallons of water toxic for freshwater organisms.
The DNR measures chloride levels in Wisconsin rivers over time, monitoring cumulative chloride loading results at 26 of the state’s largest river systems. Recent studies have shown a steep increase in chloride loads.
In the early 2000s, the DNR measured about 600,000 tons of chlorides, annually. By 2018, that number increased to nearly 800,000 tons, per year, with 50 lakes and one stream in Wisconsin, designated impaired by high salt concentrations.
“All of the 43 long-term trend water quality monitoring sites across Wisconsin, are showing increases in chlorides,” said Shannon Haydin, DNR storm water section manager. “Chlorides persist in the environment forever and cause significant impacts to fish, aquatic life and human health.
In Wisconsin, there’s evidence of Fresh Water Salinization Syndrome, a condition where freshwater becomes more like ocean water, in terms of saltiness.
“Now is the time to make a change and reduce salt use when we can,” said Haydin.
These increased chloride loads are partly because of road salting, but chlorides also enter Wisconsin waters, from water softeners and fertilizers. Increased chloride levels, including environmental and economic effects, significantly impact daily lives.
Nationwide, winter salt causes $5 billion in damage to infrastructure, each year, causing corrosion on bridges, roads and other infrastructure. Road salt can also impact pets, by causing irritated paws or other health concerns, if ingested.
Reducing salt use is critical to decreasing chloride loads, with the following steps to take for salt use:
• Clear walkways and other areas before the snow turns to ice. The more snow removed manually, the less salt needed and the more effective it will be.
• When using salt, scatter it so there is space between the grains. A 12-ounce coffee mug of salt is enough to treat an entire 20-foot driveway or 10 sidewalk squares.
• Salt won’t work when pavement temperatures drop below 15 degrees. Switch to sand for traction or a different ice melter that works at lower temperatures.
