“Right now in Minnesota we have 50 lakes and streams that have salt levels that are above a standard designed to help protect our aquatic life and our fish,” said Britta Dornfeld of the Coon Creek Watershed District in Ham Lake. “We have some streams in the watershed district that we have tested and found too high levels of salt in.”
Snow plow drivers use salting and brine technology to optimize it’s use. For homeowners , the Coon Creek Watershed district says the obvious first thing is to shovel snow to avoid ice to begin with. Pay special attention if your walkway is in the shade.
When you need to put down salt, Dornfeld says use just a pinch. Using a spreader, she says the granules should be about three inches apart.
“You don’t want to put a big pile of salt down. You can really spread it out and that helps you get optimal melting while not overdoing it,” Dornfeld. “One problem we have with salt too, is we use it for traction. Salt is just for melting.”
Also use the right kind of salt. It all depends on the temperature of the pavement.
Sodium chloride is cheap but after 15 degrees, it doesn’t work well. Magnesium chloride is good down to ten below, but it can be corrosive and harmful to plants. Potassium acetate works to 15 degrees below zero. Calcium chloride works to 20 below zero, but it’s also corrosive. The watershed district advises using sand– not for melting– but for traction only.
After the salt is spread, don’t forget about it.
“Sweeping it up, which is actually something a lot of us forget. But if you have leftover salt after the ice is melted, you can re-use it,” said Dornfeld.
Experts say some kinds of salt can actually damage concrete so check the product first. The Coon Creek Watershed District’s website has more winter salt information: www.cooncreekwd.org
