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Effort aims to guide responsible use of winter salt

The Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, the Izaak Walton League of America Salt Watch Program, the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council, and the Center for Watershed Protection encourage the public to learn about winter salt’s impacts on drinking water, aquatic ecosystems, and infrastructure during Winter Salt Awareness Week, January 27-31, 2025.

“Winter salt keeps our roads and sidewalks safe, but too much winter salt pollutes our waterways and ends up in our drinking water,” say river advocates.

Winter Salt Awareness Week includes a series of webinars featuring speakers and topics focused on the actual cost of winter salt and how to be winter salt smart.

National speakers include Abby Hileman (Izaak Walton League of America), Jess Hua (University of Wisconsin), Ted Diers (New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Cara Hardesty (Ohio Environmental Protection Agency), and Bryan Gruidi (City of Bloomington, Minnesota).

“Webinar: Perspectives from the DMV” – A regionally-focused webinar on Wednesday, January 29 at 2:30 p.m. will feature speakers Rebecca Murphy (Northern Virginia Regional Commission), Allison Lee (Center for Watershed Protection, Inc.), and Jason Swope (Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council).

Register in advance or watch the recording on the Salt Wise YouTube Channel.

Impacts of too much salt

“Although salt keeps our roads safe during winter, using more salt than needed comes at a price to our waterways, infrastructure, and drinking water. Winter salt runs off the roads and becomes a permanent pollutant in our waterways,” say advocates, who want individuals and organizations to be aware of their salt usage.

According to the Izaak Walton League of America, only one teaspoon of winter salt permanently pollutes five gallons of water.

Data compiled by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin shows a 10-fold increase in chloride (a chemical released from the breakdown of winter salt) in the Potomac River at Great Falls over the past 80 years.

There are 28 streams in Maryland considered impaired by chloride and 6 in Virginia.

“Regional and state organizations are working to reduce their winter salt use and improve water quality. Winter Salt Awareness Week is a time to learn more about their important work and give the public the tools to make a difference in their own watershed,” said Rebecca Murphy, Coastal Program Manager for the Northern Virginia Regional Commission.

“We are seeing an increase in chloride levels in the Potomac River, the source of drinking water to over 5 million people in the D.C. Metropolitan region. Beyond polluting drinking water, it impacts sensitive aquatic life and breaks down infrastructure such as roads and bridges. A bag of salt may be cheap, but nationwide, winter salt costs 5 billion dollars in damage to our infrastructure each year,” said Michael Nardolilli, Executive Director of the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin.

Be Winter Salt Smart

Environmental educations offer these steps to protect our waterways:

–Only 1 mug of salt is needed for 10 sidewalk squares.

–Shovel first and often. Salt should not be used to melt snow.

–Scatter sparingly: When using salt, scatter it so there are least 3 inches between the grains. A 12-ounce coffee mug of salt is enough to treat an entire 20-foot driveway or 10 sidewalk squares.

–Sweep it up after the storm is over. Reuse it for the next storm.

Learn more on ICPRB’s Winter Salt Smart website.

Reduction efforts

The Maryland Department of the Environment is piloting a training program for winter maintenance professionals to ensure they maintain safety without overusing winter salt.

Smart salting training was developed for the District of Columbia’s Snow Team.

Northern Virginia Regional Commission is implementing the Virginia Salt Management Strategy through ongoing outreach and engagement with private contractors, property owners, and the broader public.

Learn more through the webinar and Winter Salt Smart website.