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Milwaukee Riverkeeper encourages smart salting
Milwaukee Riverkeeper said chloride, a component of road salt, can pollute bodies of water that connect to our drinking supply.
MILWAUKEE - It's not exactly winter weather out there, but water safety experts say now is the time to think about how we treat snowy and icy roads.
Bodies of water, like rivers, connect to our drinking water supply. That's why water safety advocates say they're trying to prevent everyday pollutants from getting inside.
What's in road salt?
One of those pollutants is chloride – found in road salt. Even if you don't use it on your sidewalk or driveway, city workers use it every winter to treat roads and and sidewalks.
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Those with Milwaukee Riverkeeper said once chloride from excess salt gets into the waterways, it opens the door for dangerous outcomes.
"It’s never going to break down in the water, and it can be instantly toxic to fish and wildlife in the stream," said Katie Rademacher, the nonprofit's water quality manager. "It can also have impacts on us as humans."
Wisconsin salt use: hidden costs, environmental impacts
Wisconsin's over-application of salt has hidden costs to the environment and your bank account. What is a cheap resource has long term consequences.
Use less
Milwaukee Riverkeeper held its annual workshop on smart salting on Wednesday. They gave instructions on proper salt application, anti-icing and shoveling early and often to avoid using too much salt.
If you're looking for concrete examples of things you can do at home, Milwaukee Riverkeeper recommends using a coffee mug – about 12 ounces. You can fill it with salt, and they said that is good enough to salt 10 city sidewalk squares. They also say you can sweep up and re-use any excess salt.
Milwaukee Riverkeeper said they're not recommending completely cutting out road salt – just using less.