To salt or not to salt?

Ice-melting salt is useful in winter but can pollute soil and water

BY ANNA MARCHESSAULT Special to the Observer

The United States uses an estimated 20 million metric tons of salt on roads every year.

In places like the Lake Champlain basin, the long, cold winters mean a lot of salt applied on our roads and sidewalks. But all of that salt can pollute our soils and waters and harm local ecosystems.

“Road salt can make its way via streams to local lakes and ponds,” said Kris Stepenuck, associate director of the Lake Champlain Sea Grant, a program of UVM that produces scientific work to benefit the Lake Champlain basin. “Once there, it will only accumulate and can cause unsafe — or even toxic — conditions for fish and other aquatic life.”

What can you do to protect local forests and waterways when using ice-melting salt? Follow these guidelines.

Check To See If The Conditions Are Right

Salt depresses the freezing point of water, which makes it effective at reducing ice formation and accumulation on streets and sidewalks in the winter—down to a certain temperature. Sodium chloride, the most common type of road salt, is not effective when the pavement temperature is colder than around 16 degrees.

So, be sure to check the tempera- ture of the pavement with an infrared thermometer before you salt. If it’s too cold, opt for an alternative such as gravel, sand or even cat litter. These materials will provide extra traction to help prevent slipping while also absorbing more heat from sunlight, which helps melt the snow.