Applying The Right Amount Of De-Icer Will Save You Money & Protect Our Water From Contamination

Ready to scatter some salt on your driveway to combat the ice? Applying the right quantity will save you money, and will also help protect our freshwater streams, rivers and Lake Erie from salt contamination.

Salt contamination in our streams, rivers and lakes is on the rise, according to the Izak Walton League and many scientific studies. Road salt and other de-icers contribute to this contamination. Whether you use rock salt, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride or calcium chloride, the key ingredient is salt! The different ingredients used in de-icing products may have different benefits (more pet-friendly, works better at a lower temperature, etc.) but they are all harmful when applied excessively.

Most of us know that dissolved chloride / salt is highly corrosive to roads, bridges and cars. Too much salt can burn our pets’ feet and kill our landscape plants. But some aren’t aware that salt-contaminated water runs off our roads into storm drains and streams. Some of our streams and rivers, such as Euclid Creek, have “chloride hot spots” in which the water stays too salty all year round. In those areas, there is a high potential of harm to freshwater insect larvae, fish, frogs, and other animals that are not adapted to higher levels of salt. Eventually the contaminated water makes its way to Lake Erie, and other Great Lakes, which have measurably higher levels of salt than in the past. Just 1 teaspoon of salt can permanently pollute 5 gallons of water. Our Lake Erie water treatment systems are not designed to remove salt; salt has the potential of contaminating our drinking water.

Some “best practices” can help you avoid using excessive de-icers.

1. Remove as much snow as possible before adding de-icer.
2. A mug-full (12 ounces) of de-icer can melt 250 square feet of pavement.
3. Sweep up any excess salt left over after the ice melts and re-use it.
4. Don’t use rock salt below 15 degrees F (magnesium chloride works better at lower temperatures).
5. Store your de-icer in a waterproof container and sweep up any spills.

Keep your sidewalks and driveways safe by using appropriate levels of de-icer, and help reduce salt pollution in our streams, rivers and lakes.