Salt Smart Collaborative
Our local rivers and streams are getting saltier and saltier. The main culprit? Road salt—the kind used to melt snow and ice on roads, sidewalks, and parking lots. This salt impacts aquatic wildlife, hurts landscaping, and corrodes infrastructure. Chlorides, a main component of road salt, are proving to be a persistent issue.
The Salt Smart Collaborative is a group of local stakeholders bringing smarter, more efficient winter maintenance practices to our communities. Safety will always be the number one priority. Salt Smart best management practices enable snow crews to create safe surfaces and protect our local water supply at the same time.
Salt Smart Certified
Winter professionals, including Public Works road crews and snow clearing companies, have the greatest potential to protect waterways with a Salt Smart approach. Salt Smart Certified is a new program that provides training and resources for winter professionals that clear parking lots and sidewalks during the winter. Salt Smart Certified promotes industry-accepted best practices for winter maintenance. By adopting these practices, winter professionals create safe surfaces, reduce waste, and preserve clean water.
Be on the lookout for Winter Chloride Watchers training sessions in the fall and early winter!
Volunteer
Winter Chloride Watchers
Join Winter Chloride Watchers, a community science initiative to monitor our local rivers, streams, and ponds for chlorides coming from winter road salt. As a Winter Chloride Watcher, you’ll receive training on collecting water samples at your chosen waterbody and contribute to a growing pool of data.
Salt Smart @ Home
Embrace a Salt Smart approach right at your doorstep! Homeowners also have a role to play in protecting the environment over the winter. Grab your shovel (or broom, snow blower, or ice scraper) first to clear away snow and ice manually whenever possible. When using salt, remember to scatter it sparingly with space between granules, focusing on high traffic areas. There’s no need to salt areas where no one walks or drives. Together, we can take small yet impactful steps to be Salt Smart at home to keep our families safe and preserve our freshwater resources.
Salt Smart Resources
We have a suite of materials to help educate and spread the word about salt’s impact on local waterways. Share these graphics, blogs, and videos with your family, friends, and neighbors so we can build safe and Salt Smart communities!
Salt Smart Library Exhibit
Bring the Salt Smart and You Exhibit to your community! The exhibit consists of 8 pop-up displays that raise awareness about the impact of winter salt.
