Road salt contaminating our waters

There was a recent article discussing the long-lasting effect of road salt on our water bodies ("Rivers in wintry cities remain salty year-round"). A University of Minnesota study indicates that some lakes can double in salinity in 50 years! Yikes!

Reminder tips on ways to reduce salt and still maintain safe pavements:
1) Clear the area of as much snow and ice as possible. Clearing snow is best done right after snowfall as compacted from walking/driving is very difficult to remove.
2) Pay attention to the products you are using. There are a variety of salts other than sodium chloride (NaCl) such as magnesium chloride (MgCl2). MgCl2 also has the added bonus of not being palatable to deer. There are many other deicing options (cheese brine, anyone?).
3) Pre-wetting salt can immediately begin to lower the melting point of water. Applying liquid salt can also reduce the amount of salt that bounces off and scatters away.
4) Sodium Chloride is not effective at temperatures below 15 degrees F. There wouldn't really be any benefit to salting at extremely low temperatures.
5) Never use more than 4 lbs/1000 square ft
6) Sweep up any excess salt for reuse
7) Do not apply salt with sand. Sand should be used for traction at lower temperatures when salt won't deice.
8) More good info from the MN Pollution Control Agency: here

It only takes 1 teaspoon to pollute 5 gallons of water!

Protect Drinking Water- Recycle Oil

Each year in the U.S., millions of gallons of used motor oil are improperly disposed.  Improper disposal can result in contamination of lakes, rivers, and groundwater supplies.  The oil from one oil change can pollute one million gallons of drinking water.  Aquatic life doesn’t do well in the oil mix either.  It’s great if people are able to take on doing their own oil changes on their vehicles.  They can save a lot of money doing so.  The final step of the home oil change should be to disposal of the oil properly.  In Superior, the Municipal Landfill on Moccasin Mike Road accepts the used oil and filters at no cost.  You would need to bring the oil in a clean container or use the container the oil came in.  Places where oil changes are done (that’s Wal-Mart, Benna Ford and the assorted shops including Valvoline) as well as O’Reilly auto parts stores accept it.

Oil never wears out.  It just needs to be cleaned. The recycled oil is cleaned up and made into lubricating oils that are as good as new, non-recycled motor oil.  Some used oil is processed and burned as heat or to generate electricity for homes, schools and businesses.  Como Oil & Lube in Duluth collects oil from the collection locations in the Twin Ports.  About two million gallons are collected per year in our area with about half coming from Superior.  It’s great that the places doing the oil changes and the collection centers (such as the Superior Landfill or WLSSD in Duluth) have a pickup service agreement with Como Oil and Lube to help the oil go on to a new life.  For all the home oil-changers, it’s up to you to get the used oil to a collection center.  Please do not empty it in a storm drain because most of those drains go directly to a local stream, bay or Lake Superior.  You also shouldn’t bury the oil in your yard as that also can contaminate water.  Just putting the oil in a sealed container in the trash is also illegal.  As of January 1, 2011, used oil filters, absorbents, and containers are banned from landfills per Wisconsin Administrative Code. Used waste oil was banned from disposal into licensed landfills prior to that.

With doing research for this blog, I also learned that the U.S. Postal Service and National Park Service used re-refined oil in their vehicle fleets.  Re-refining is energy efficient and about 2.5 quarts of re-refined, high-quality, lubricating oil can be produced from one gallon of used oil.   It takes 42 gallons of crude oil to make the 2.5 quarts of re-refined lubricating oil.

Listed below are more resources associated with used oil recycling.  Please be sure to fix any oil leaks in your vehicle promptly.  It just makes sense.  Cars also go through tires and batteries – guess what?  These are also not allowed in landfills and need to be disposed of properly as well.  You can check out the laws pertaining to disposal of other items at the website:  docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/287.pdf

For more information on motor oil recycling, go to

Oil and Water Don't Mix (Lake Superior Streams)

American Petroleum Institute

Used Oil Management (EPA)

How to Recycle Oil (Video)

Used Motor Oil Recycling (Northland News Center)

-Written by Wendy Grethen

Shaken, Not Poured: The Case for Using Winter Salt Sparingly

Little mounds of salt piled along buildings and sidewalks are a common sight during the winter months in the Great Lakes states.  Now that winter is fully upon us, the plow and salt trucks will be out in full force.  But why do we use salt?  And what is all of that salt doing to the environment?

Salt lowers the freezing point of water.  So, less water can become ice because there is salt in the water. 

What all of this means is that salt can decrease the number of traffic accidents due to slippery road surfaces.  It can also keep sidewalks and driveways clear for pedestrian traffic.  While it’s great that we have an abundant resource that allows us to get around in the winter, it also has some detrimental impacts on the environment and us.  Some impacts of sodium chloride use are:

1.       Damage to vegetation: When salty slush from roads, sidewalks, and driveways gets on your garden or lawn, the salt water can seep into the soil.  Plants can’t get water from the soil as easily, dehydrating them.  The salty water that ends up on leaves, it can desiccate the plant further.

2.       Corrosive to vehicles: Salt is hygroscopic, meaning that it attracts water.  If that slushy spray from passing cars gets on your car, the salt from that slush will attract more moisture to it and will lead to rusting. 

3.       Water pollution: As spring approaches and warmth returns to Wisconsin, the snow begins to melt.  You’ve seen it; rivers of melted snow, pouring into the storm drain.  It takes with it the salt that has been used throughout the winter.  Many storm drains, including the majority of Superior’s, take stormwater and snowmelt (along with anything mixed in to them) into streams, rivers, and lakes.  Lakes are getting saltier because the salt settles at the bottom of the lake and accumulates.  This prevents water from mixing and can be toxic to aquatic life.

What can you do to mitigate some of the detrimental impacts of salt while staying safe in the winter?  First of all (and most importantly), remove as much snow and ice as possible first.  Once it has been walked/driven on and is compacted, it will be more difficult to get rid of.  Second, pay attention to the products you’re using.  Different kinds of salts (besides the most commonly used NaCl) have different temperatures at which they are effective.  Sodium chloride works best at or above 20*F.  For colder situations, use a different product or use sand for traction.  Finally, apply using the guidelines set forth on the package.  Use a shaker to spread more evenly and to avoid spreading on your lawn or garden.  Sweep up excess salt and use it again for the next storm.

Some more links to check out:

City of Superior

Lake Superior Streams

Wisconsin Department of Transportation- Winter Maintenance at a Glance

-Written by Jillian Schubert Edwards