RHINELANDER, WI (WSAU-WXPR) – The icy weather this week has a lot of people reaching for buckets of rock salt.
But environmental advocates are urging people to find alternatives when possible.
Recent studies have found rising chloride levels in freshwater lakes and groundwater. While salt in water softeners, cheese brine, and other food products contribute to those chloride levels, salt on the roads and sidewalks is often the biggest contributor.
The elevated levels are having an adverse effect on aquatic ecosystems. Allison Madison is the program manager for Wisconsin Salt Wise. “We see that when fish are in the water with really high chloride concentrations it negatively impacts their growth and reproduction rates. It also increases their susceptibility to parasites. So it’s really salt is a pollutant in our freshwater and it’s a permanent pollutant in that it doesn’t break down. It’s there until the water flushes out of the system.”
To reduce your salt use- Madison says first and foremost is using a shovel, snow blower, and plow to remove as much of the snow and ice as possible.
There’s also been a lot of success using a brine over just salt to prevent ice build-up. “If you put it down before the storm, it’s kind of like putting cooking spray down on your skillet before you put the food on. Spatula comes, food comes right off. You don’t create that bond between the snow and the pavement. It’s so much easier. If you don’t do that it’s just more work it ends up being, using more salt afterward.”
Wisconsin Salt Wise is hosting free webinars during Wisconsin Salt Awareness week which is from January 23rd through the 27th.
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