Winter Weather Preparation for A Safe Environment

Salt and deicers can make driveways and sidewalks safer during winter storms, but overuse can harm the environment. When snow or ice hits, try other methods first to protect the environment. A deicer is a substance that melts or prevents ice formation by lowering the freezing point of water and avoiding a bond between ice and paved surfaces. When snow and ice melt, all roadway treatments eventually wash into storm drains, eventually reaching local lakes, streams, wetlands and groundwater. Salty water also causes corrosion, damaging vehicles, roads, bridges, sidewalks, and parking lots, leading to higher maintenance and replacement costs.

Once present in water, there is no easy way to remove chlorides as no existing stormwater treatment system exists to capture and retain them. Although chlorides may be loosely retained in soils or water, they can build up at the downstream end of the watershed, or within groundwater. When this occurs, sodium levels in drinking water supplies can increase water treatment costs. It only takes one teaspoon of salt to permanently pollute five gallons of water. Salt levels in the Potomac River have more than doubled over the past few decades, making treating the drinking water supply more difficult and expensive.

How to Reduce the Amount of Salt Used to Clear Driveways and Sidewalks:

• A shovel might be all you need to clear away the snow. By shoveling first, you can ensure you are using the right amount of salt and only use it when needed. Shovel early and often.
• Apply salt after clearing snow and never use salt to "burn off" the snow. It will quickly dilute and require excess use. Clear away as much snow as possible before applying salt on the underlying ice.
• Be patient and give the salt time to work. If possible, let the sun help melt ice before applying salt.
• After the storm, sweep up the excess salt or traction material and reuse it again when it snows.
• When possible, use traction materials instead of salt. These include sand, native blends of bird seed and zeolite crystals.

One 12-oz coffee mug of sodium chloride or rock salt with a melting temperature of 15° Fahrenheit is enough to treat a 20-foot driveway or ten sidewalk squares. Aim for about three inches between pieces of rock salt. Calcium chloride has a melting temperature of -20° Fahrenheit and should be applied at one-third of the rate used for sodium chloride. The colder it is, the longer it will take for the salt to melt what snow or ice remains after shoveling.

All nitrogen and phosphorus salts are illegal in Virginia, including urea, ammonium sulfate and potassium nitrate, etc. Chlorides have several harmful environmental effects, including threatening freshwater aquatic life. Chlorides also harm and destroy infrastructure, as they erode metal and pit concrete and rust metal vehicle components. Salt pollution also negatively impacts local fish, plants, and wildlife, especially freshwater species in our streams. It can also kill non-salt tolerant vegetation, and harm soil and pets. This winter, try using less salt or deicers to help protect Stafford's environment.