Environmental Responsibility: Strategies for Reducing Winter Salt Usage

October 2024

As the crisp chill of fall settles in, now is the perfect time to start preparing for winter maintenance. In regions where snowfall appears regularly, salt plays a crucial role in keeping daily life running smoothly. It is essential for de-icing roads, sidewalks, and parking lots, ensuring safe travel for vehicles and pedestrians.

As we become more aware of its environmental impact, it is essential we use salt responsibly and look to explore alternative solutions to reduce its use. Road salt has a significant environmental footprint- every year, the US applies approximately 24 million tonnes of salt, and in Canada, 5 million tonnes.

Over-application of salt can lead to runoff that contaminates nearby water sources and harms roadside plants. By being mindful of our salt usage, we can help protect the environment while keeping our roads safe.

In this blog, we will explore the harmful effects of road salt and provide practical tips for using less of it at home and on the roads.

The Impact of Salt

Salt is a workhorse in the de-icing industry, reducing accidents by 88% and injuries by 85%. But – it comes at the cost of our environment.

1. Aquatic Life: When salt dissolves and runs off into nearby water bodies, it increases the salinity of freshwater ecosystems. This elevated salinity can harm sensitive aquatic species such as fish, insects, and plants, disrupting their habitats and potentially leading to population declines.
2. Water Quality: Salt runoff can contaminate freshwater sources, posing risks to drinking water supplies and affecting both human health and the balance of ecosystems.
3. Vegetation Damage: Road salt can negatively affect roadside plants by being absorbed into the soil. This can stunt plant growth, reduce their reproduction ability, and even kill vulnerable species.
4. Infrastructure: Salt accelerates the corrosion of vehicles, bridges, and other metal structures. This increases maintenance costs and shortens the lifespan of infrastructure, adding to financial burdens.

Whether you are a road maintenance professional or a homeowner, the amount of salt you put down has an impact. Be mindful of how and when you use salt because once it enters our environment, there is no simple way to remove it.

Reducing salt usage as a road maintenance professional

As a road maintenance professional, finding ways to use salt more efficiently is key to minimizing environmental impact and improving winter road management. Here are four effective tips to help you reduce salt usage:

1. Calibrate Equipment: Make sure all your equipment, from liquid to granular spreaders, is properly calibrated. For more complex systems, consult the manufacturer for guidance. Accurate calibration ensures you apply the right amount of material, reducing waste and maximizing coverage.
2. Maintain a Logbook: Document weather conditions, actions taken, and their outcomes for each storm. While every storm is unique, this logbook will help you identify patterns and evaluate the success of various strategies. By referencing past experiences, you can refine your approach for similar future events.
3. Leverage Advanced Technology: Utilize modern road maintenance technology, such as truck systems that offer precise application measurements, ground speed controllers, temperature gauges, and AI that adjusts application rates in real time. These technologies can improve accuracy and efficiency.
4. Use Liquid Deicers:
   1. Treated Salt: The easiest way to start using liquids is by introducing treated salt into your product toolbox. We recommend a type 2 treated salt product that has a liquid coating comprised of both a premium chloride for additional melting capacity and a refined carbohydrate for its cryoprotectant quality and effectiveness at colder temperatures. The addition of a refined carbohydrate also increases the viscosity of the liquid allowing for more liquid to be applied to the salt.
   2. Prewet at the spinner: For those who have liquid capability, adding a premium liquid at the spinner will produce a superior result compared to adding salt brine (liquid salt) to salt.
   3. Utilize Direct Liquid Application (DLA): Apply material directly before a storm to prevent snow and ice from bonding with the pavement. This proactive method is estimated to use up to six times less material than traditional methods while effectively managing road conditions.

By incorporating these strategies, you can reduce salt usage and enhance the efficiency of your winter maintenance operations.

What De-Icing solution should you use?

Choosing the right liquid deicer is crucial when setting up your winter maintenance plan, as different products perform differently.

Salt brine is a popular choice as we are comfortable with using salt as a deicer. Users need to work within the limitations of salt and salt brine and be aware that salt brine must be prepared at a precise concentration of 23.3%. Anything above or below this concentration can lead to operational issues and reduced effectiveness. A higher concentration significantly reduces salt brine’s melting ability and can cause rapid refreeze. Ensuring your brine is on specification at 23.3% is vital.

Salt brine is a corrosive solution, rating 100 on the Clear Roads Corrosion Scale, which means it can cause damage to vehicles and infrastructure. Because it evaporates quickly, it often requires frequent reapplication to keep roads safe, which can lead to higher levels of chloride in the environment.

It is important to recognize that while salt and salt brine are different formats, they are essentially both salt and share the same melting capabilities. Simply using salt brine alone will not provide any additional melting benefits compared to traditional salt. To improve the performance of salt brine, consider using a salt brine enhancer, which can boost its effectiveness in ice melting capacity.

At Innovative Surface Solutions, we offer Magic-0 salt brine enhancer. This superior salt brine enhancer is a proprietary blend of free-grade molasses and magnesium chloride. Enhanced brine is less corrosive, lasts longer, and delivers superior performance.

Check out the product difference between regular salt brine and Magic-0 Enhanced Brine

Magic-0 is a multi-functional winter liquid deicer that does it all: anti-icing, pre-wetting, pre-treating, and salt brine enhancing. To learn more about this versatile liquid deicer, visit https://www.innovativecompany.com/environmentally-friendly-liquid-deicer.php .

What can you do at home to reduce ice melt salt usage?

Homeowners must also be mindful of how much salt they apply to their sidewalks and driveways. Here are some simple tips to follow at home to use less ice melt salt and keep your property safe.

• Shovel First:: Avoid relying solely on ice melt salt to clear all the snow and ice. Instead, start by shovelling off the bulk of the snow. This reduces the amount of salt you need and lowers the risk of over-application.
• Check temperature: Before applying, check the forecasted weather for the day and ensure you choose the right product designed to work at those temperatures.
• Follow application rates: Each bag of ice melt salt comes with recommended application rates—follow these guidelines for the best results. Applying too much will not speed up melting and can harm the environment.
• Sweep excess product: If you accidentally use too much salt, sweep up the excess and save it for future use. This helps minimize waste and reduces the impact on the environment.
• Check your gutters: Ensure your downspouts direct water away from driveways to prevent ice build-up. If water drains onto your driveway, use a downspout extender to direct it onto your lawn instead.

Say Something

If you see salt being overapplied, say something.

Another effective way to reduce salt overuse is to raise awareness about its environmental impacts. If you notice excessive salt application, take the initiative to speak with business owners, property managers, and the local Department of Public Works (DPW). Share information about the negative effects of excessive salt and encourage them to adopt more responsible salt usage practices.

Addressing the impact of winter salt usage is crucial for both road maintenance professionals and homeowners. Each year, excessive salt application harms the environment, affecting aquatic ecosystems.

Both road professionals and homeowners need to consider the effects of their salt usage in winter maintenance operations. Every year, the excessive use of salt causes significant harm to the environment by impacting aquatic ecosystems, damaging vegetation, and contributing to the corrosion of infrastructure and contamination of drinking water. By implementing strategies to reduce salt usage and exploring more effective alternatives, we can minimize these negative effects and help protect the environment long-term while having safe roads.

Education is key to making better decisions. To learn more about the impact of winter salt use and the importance of chloride reduction, watch our free on-demand webinar and learn how you can make a difference: https://go.innovativecompany.com/reducewintersaltuse .