How does road salt that is used to manage our Midwest winters impacting our water?

The problem runs with the chloride that is added to our natural environment. Chloride is a key component of road salt, which typically is made up of sodium chloride.

Chloride is soluble, highly mobile in water, and at high concentrations can be toxic to aquatic vegetation and wildlife.

United States Geological Survey investigations show increasing trends of chloride concentrations in water bodies throughout the U.S. and attribute this to the influence of road salt.

Of 19 streams studied in one of the USGS investigations, 13 had chloride concentrations that continued to increase even during non-deicing periods such as summer, suggesting that chloride infiltrated into the shallow groundwater system in winter and was slowly releasing into streams throughout the year.

This motivated Kane County and The Conservation Foundation to provide a deicing workshop for public works staff and deicing contractors to promote responsible salt application rates and minimize our impact on Kane County waters.

Kane County’s “Parking Lots and Sidewalks Deicing Workshop” is set for Thursday, Oct. 3, at the Brewster Creek Forest Preserve. The focus of the workshop, hosted by the Division of Environmental and Water Resources and The Conservation Foundation, is to efficiently manage salt usage during ice and snow season to protect our water resources while maintaining safety.

Kuykendall

Scott Kuykendall with McHenry County will provide an update on the Regional Sensible Salting Manual and how chlorides resulting from current salting practices are impacting water quality in our watershed.

Following, Fortin Consulting will provide parking lot and sidewalk deicing training to explain how to best manage salt use and maximize the effectiveness of deicing practices.

Private deicing and snow removal contractors and public works staff are encouraged to attend.

Please register with The Conservation Foundation. Hot breakfast is included with each registration!

In addition, a raffle prize provided by the Forest Preserve District of Kane County will be received by one lucky workshop attendee.

For details, contact Nancy Cinatl with TCF at 630-428-4500 x120 or ncinatl@theconservationfoundation.org.

Parking Lots and Sidewalks Deicing Workshop

• When: 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3
• Where: Brewster Creek Forest Preserve, Barbara Belding Lodge, 6N921 IL Route 25, St. Charles, IL
• Who Should Attend: Deicing and snow removal contractors and public works staff
• To Register: Click this link to the Eventbrite website
• For More Information: Contact Nancy Cinatl with TCF at 630-428-4500 x120 or ncinatl@theconservationfoundation.org.