Minnesota winter: Salt threatens waterways, alternatives urged

Why it’s not good to use too much salt

The safety of both sidewalks and pet paws is a focus of Minnesotans once winter rolls through, but scientists and environmentalists are warning about the dangers of salt pollution. FOX 9’s Corin Hoggard has what you need to know.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (FOX 9) - As winter storms approach, Minnesotans are reminded of the environmental impact of using salt for de-icing.

Salt's environmental impact

What we know:

Scientists highlight that just one teaspoon of salt can pollute five gallons of fresh water.

Minnesota uses about 255 billion teaspoons of salt annually on its roads. For these purposes, "salt" includes sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium chloride, and calcium chloride.

Salt is effective for de-icing at temperatures above 15 degrees, but it poses a threat to local ecosystems. It can harm fish, plants, and birds, and some waterways have reached high chloride levels, landing them on the impaired waters list.

How much salt is really needed for de-icing?

As it turns out, you probably don't need to use as much rock salt to melt ice on your property -- and overuse is having some ill effects on the environment.

Alternatives to salt

What they're saying:

"We have to keep our pavements safe, but we also want to protect our water resources," said Brooke Asleson from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Sand and grit can both provide safer walkways without any long-term environmental concerns.

The Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District is distributing grit at ten mostly East Metro hardware stores: Kendall’s Ace Hardware and Noll Hardware in St. Paul, and Frattallone’s Hardware locations in Woodbury, White Bear Lake, Mahtomedi, Little Canada, Circle Pines, Blaine, and Arden Hills.