Study Shows Environmental Road Salting Proves Effective

For Immediate Release: April 14, 2017, by the Salt Institute

Naples, FL- A new study published in the Proceedings of the Natural Academy of the Sciences (Salting our freshwater lakes) purports to sound the alarm about rising chloride levels in North American lakes. The study actually found that chloride levels in the majority of the examined lakes either stayed the same or declined and that chloride levels were far below EPA toxicity standards. Chloride concentrations across all 371 lakes in the study had a median of 6 milligrams per liter, while the EPA standard is 230 mg/L. 

The fact is that several better studies have shown that when road salt is properly applied environmental impacts can be effectively managed and significantly minimized. Modern roadways themselves are not a natural feature of the environment and are specifically engineered to satisfy our demand for personal and commercial mobility – factors that are basic to the quality of life. This includes sensible salting when needed to protect lives and commerce.

For more than 30 years the Salt Institute has been a leader in promoting sensible salting, which consists of identifying those salt management practices intended to protect the environment and train winter maintenance professionals. The key concept is to use the right amount of salt at the right time and place to keep roadways safe and passable. This includes both the application and storage of road salt. http://www.saltinstitute.org/publication/safe-and-sustainable-snowfighting/

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