Believe it or not, the season of winter snow and ice is just around the corner.  While many of us are looking forward to the recreational opportunities and beauty that winter has to offer, I doubt that many of us are looking forward to the season of removing snow and ice from our roadways and walkways.  Although safety is our primary concern with snow and ice removal, salt (sodium chloride) and other de-icing products have a negative effect on the quality of New Hampshire’s approximately 1,000 lakes and ponds and 18,000 miles of river and streams.  

Chloride levels in New Hampshire’s freshwaters are 100 times more today than they were 50 years ago before salt was used to melt ice on roadways.
In many small streams in southern and coastal New Hampshire, elevated chloride levels are so high that they threaten the health of sensitive fish species and smaller organisms that serve as their food source. In addition, elevated chloride levels in drinking water supplies pose a health risk to people in need of restricting their sodium intake.

Our water resources are being inundated with chloride from many sources.
Water runoff from local roadways, parking areas, driveways, walkways, and salt storage areas, and discharges from water softening systems from regional water suppliers and individual homeowners all contribute to the problem. This creates quite a challenge for reducing salt use and protecting water quality in New Hampshire.  Unlike other pollutants, salt cannot be treated or removed from runoff — what salt is spread on the ground and pavement moves through the natural system and eventually reaches our groundwater and surface water.

Implement a Low Salt Diet for Your Property
Our only option to restore our water quality is to reduce our salt use. The New Hampshire departments of Environmental Services and Transportation are working with the United States Environmental Protection Agency to study chloride levels in certain regions of the state and identify needed reductions to improve water quality.  While these organizations will be taking appropriate actions themselves and working with area communities to reduce salt use, each and every property owner should take action to reduce his/her contributions to salt pollution.  You can do this by simply putting your property on a low salt diet this winter. Here’s how:

Minimize your use of salt for deicing: Use salt only when absolutely necessary, and use only enough for safe passage. Learn to gauge how much is enough. The warmer it is, the less salt it takes to melt the ice.

Store salt under a roof or in a sealed container so it is not exposed to rain or snow. If this is not possible, then outside piles should be placed on concrete pads and completely covered with a tarp. Keep salt piles away from storm grates; these can drain directly to rivers and ponds.

Sweep up left over salt, sand, and other abrasives used after every storm.  If you can see salt crystals or other particles on the walkway or driveway after the ice is gone, sweep the area and store the materials to be reused during the next storm. These particles pollute by washing downstream and ending up in streams and lakes, smothering aquatic plant and fish habitat

Move snow piles away from walkways and driveways.  This will help avoid ice formation on these surfaces caused by melting and refreezing during late winter months.

Avoid using alternative deicing chemicals near waterways or drainage to waterways.  Some of these new products deemed “safe” may contain ingredients similar to fertilizers. Once in our waters, these products cause additional water quality damage by depleting the oxygen that sustains fish and other aquatic organisms.

Help encourage salt-free behavior!  The biggest barriers to reducing salt use on New Hampshire roads and parking lots are the real concerns about safety and liability. The more we take responsibility for our own safety by watching where we walk, wearing footwear with traction, driving slower in storms, using snow tires, or even staying home during storms, the more we reduce the need for salt and protect our water quality.

This article was adapted from the January 2005 and February 2009 edition of GREENWorks: Ideas for a Cleaner Environment published monthly by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.  To read other GREENWorks Articles, visit http://des.nh.gov.