Don't Be Salty, New York!
Reducing Rock Salt for a Cleaner Environment While Maintaining Safety
New York State is known for its harsh winters, with frequent snow and ice storms, making travel treacherous at times. To combat the slippery snow and ice, road salt (or rock salt as it is also known) is often used to keep roads and walkways clear to ensure easy and safe navigation. Unfortunately, the impacts of excessive rock salt applications pose significant impacts to public health and the environment through contamination of surface water (lakes, ponds, rivers, streams), and groundwater used for recreation and as sources of drinking water, as well as infrastructure failure because of excessive corrosion. It takes only one teaspoon of salt to permanently pollute five gallons of water.
In 2020, the Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force was established to complete a comprehensive review of road salt contamination and road salt application practices within the Adirondack Park. The Task Force released a Final Report (PDF) with recommendations that identify training and public outreach practices to support road salt reduction targets and reduce the overall application of road salt through various best management practices. Today, New York State is expanding on these efforts and encourages all New Yorkers to manage rock salt use effectively and safely. Don’t be salty, New York!
How You Can Reduce Salt Spreading for a Healthy Environment
- Shovel what you can first. Removing snow and ice first helps reduce the amount of rock salt you’ll need.
- Think twice before you start spreading rock salt. You only need 12 ounces to effectively melt snow and ice on a 20-foot driveway.
- Know the temperature. Rock salt will not melt snow or ice below 15 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Salt brine isn't just for Thanksgiving turkeys! You can use a combination of rock salt and water and apply it to your driveway and walkways to keep it ice free.
- Combine 3.5 cups of rock salt per gallon of hot tap water.
- Stir until all salt is dissolved. Let any gravel settle to the bottom.
- Pour the brine into a regular garden sprayer and spray in a zig-zag pattern over desired area.
- Save extra brine to use later.
- Make informed decisions about the impacts of your deicers. Check out Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's properties of deicing agents before you make a purchase.
