Hold The Salt: County Asks Residents To Limit Street Salt Usage

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Government and public works officials are asking residents to be mindful of their sidewalk salt use this season, as the weather turns colder and icy conditions become more regular. The reason, they say, is that oversalting can contaminate drinking water and hurt pets and plants.

“As we move into the winter season, we want the public to be aware of the environmental dangers of over salting,” said County Executive Marc Elrich in a news release. “It’s critically important that every public and private sidewalk to be passable and safe following winter storms. However, we want homeowners to understand that over salting does not make sidewalks and driveways safer, rather it puts our water eco-system at greater long-term risk of damage.”

Salt going into the water stream is a problem because it cannot be removed, according to WSSC Water General Manager and CEO Carla A. Reid.

“Over the past 30 years, we have seen a dramatic increase in salt levels the Potomac and Patuxent rivers,” said Reid in the news release. “Because we cannot remove salt during the filtration process, higher levels end up in the drinking water—impacting people who must closely monitor their salt intake. In addition, salt is corrosive and slowly wears away our water mains, which leads to more breaks and leaks.”

Some ways to limit your salt use outside include shoveling ice and snow early to avoid the need for salt and sweeping up excess salt for reuse, the county said. It advised that a 12-ounce cup of salt for 10 sidewalk squares or for a 20-foot driveway should do the trick.

“We hope residents will heed this guidance as we all work together to protect our environment,” said Acting County DEP Director Adriana Hochberg in the release. “We need everyone to be Salt Wise this winter and to remember that salt can harm our streams and creeks and impact our drinking water.”

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation will also be looking to reduce its salt use as it cares for the roads around the county, it said.

“We apply the minimum amount of salt necessary to endure public safety during snowstorms,” said MCDOT Chief of Highway Services Richard Dorsey. “We have implemented plow bumpers on all our plows, allowing for early plowing. We also use salt brine, a 23 percent solution of salt vs. water to reduce salt use.”