After the weekend’s storm, it can be tempting to go heavy on the road salt to keep our sidewalks and driveways free of ice and snow during the current deep freeze. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) warns against excessive road salt use, however, because the excess washes into rivers and streams, threatening wildlife and drinking water.
The CBF urges Maryland agencies, community associations, and residents to use road salt sparingly because it is an unpurified version of table salt, sodium chloride. It does a good job melting ice off the roadways, but it is dangerous for our waterways, and it is often over-applied. After application, salt accumulates on streets, sidewalks, and cars. Eventually the excess flows into the nearest river or stream when the snow melts or it rains.
Rapid spikes in salinity levels can harm or kill freshwater fish and other aquatic species, and it can contaminate drinking water sources.
There are no exact replacements for road salt, but alternatives exist that are not so damaging. Calcium Magnesium Acetate (CMA), sand, and kitty litter can each be used instead. Residents can shovel early and often, and they can reuse any excess road salt that has accumulated in their neighborhoods to help lower chances it will get washed into rivers and streams.
Furthermore, the Maryland Department of the Environment has been working on a new training program to reduce use of road salt. Even as climate change makes weather patterns less predictable, it remains important for road salt applicators to be vigilant in their use of the substance.
Gussie Maguire is a Maryland staff scientist at the CBF. Maguire noted that heavy ice and snow do not necessarily require heavy salt application, saying that a little goes a long way.
“This winter, let’s go light on the road salt — and encourage your neighbors, HOAs, and county and state officials to do the same,” Maguire said in a statement. “Our local waterways and wildlife will thank you. Snow is a key ingredient to a healthy Bay. Our brackish Bay needs balance between fresh and salt water — and snowmelt, just like rainfall, is an important freshwater input. Let’s not counteract that harmony with harmful chemicals and heavy-handed salt usage.”
