It’s ice season, when environmental advocates remind Minnesotans not to salt the sidewalk or driveway like a bucket of popcorn or a steak destined for the grill.
Doing so threatens freshwater and native species, can kill lawns and gardens and even make pets sick. Just a teaspoon of salt can permanently pollute 5 gallons of water.
The harm is not just to the natural environment — too much deicing salt can also damage vehicles, sidewalks, even stormwater infrastructure. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) estimates the financial impact of every ton of deicing salt is between $1,700 and $17,000.
That’s why the Low Salt, No Salt Minnesota initiative is again spreading the word about the hazards of using too much sodium chloride, aka deicing salt. The initiative started as a collaboration between Hennepin County and local watershed organizations and now has a statewide reach that includes the MPCA.
Government agencies, from local road crews to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, have gotten the message and limited the salt they use. Often, that includes brining streets before a storm and only spreading salt when it’s effective.
But residents, churches and many businesses still pour on the salt.
“Chloride has been building up in our bodies of water and that is why it is getting so much more attention over the last decade or so,” said Grace Barcelow, a conservation specialist with Hennepin County and the West Metro Water Alliance. “Once it gets in there, it is a permanent pollutant and there is no feasible way to remove it.”
Despite what manufacturers claim, there are no environmentally friendly deicing products, Barcelow said.