City of Eagan issued the following announcement on Dec. 2.
Unless you are ice-fishing, you may not think about Eagan’s fish population this time of year. But if you use salt on your driveway, you should.
Currently, there are 21 lakes, 22 streams, and 4 wetlands in Minnesota that have unacceptable levels of chloride (the chemical found in common road and driveway salt that can harm aquatic life). Thankfully none of Eagan’s waterbodies fall into this group. Adopting good practices now can help prevent future harm to lakes and fish.
Being SMART about how to apply salt on your driveway and sidewalk can help in the fight against salt pollution. The City’s water resources staff says the word SMART can help you remember:
- Shovel snow from walks and driveways before it gets compacted and turns to ice. This will reduce the salt needed to clear away ice later.
- Moderation. More salt does not mean more melting. An average driveway (1,000 sq. ft.) only needs four 12 oz. cups of salt.
- Apply less. Any excess salt can wash down storm drains to lakes and ponds, harming fish and plant life or polluting groundwater.
- Reuse. If salt or sand is visible on dry pavement, it is no longer doing its job and will be washed away. Sweep it up and reuse it next time it snows.
- Temperature affects how salt works. Most deicing products do not work at temps below 15 degrees. Try using small amounts of sand to reduce slipping. Again, sweep this up when pavement dries.
Every Eagan plow driver is trained to use less salt and apply deicers wisely. The goal is to provide the safest roads and trails we can, using the least chemical treatments possible. Their equipment helps in the battle as application technology can monitor the amounts of salt or brine being applied. This is based on the current road temperature, the truck speed and other factors.
For more information and tips about protecting Eagan’s waterbodies, visit www.cityofeagan.com/lakesandwetlands.
Original source can be found here.
Source: City of Eagan
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