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HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

Snow covered snow plow works to clear snow from rural highway

Road Chloride Salt Use

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Why is Road Salt Use Important?

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Chloride (another name for salt) can cause poor water quality in lakes and rivers and be toxic to plants, fish and insects. Since chloride is easily spread and does not biodegrade, it has lasting effects on the environment.

Winter maintenance operations is one of several sources of salt in Minnesota's environment. Salt can also come from water softeners and private entities spreading salt on parking lots and sidewalks. Each source is a significant contributor to the adverse environmental impacts of salt/chloride.

The amount of salt MnDOT uses each winter depends on the temperature, precipitation, and other conditions. MnDOT has taken a leadership role in providing excellent winter service that minimizes environmental impacts.

How to Print

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  1. To print this page, scroll down the bottom of the chart below and click on the "download" button as shown in the following image:
  2. In the format options that pop up, select PDF
  3. Under "Include", select Specific sheets from this workbook, and then select the sheets you would like to print. Then under "Orientation" select Landscape

RELATED MEASURES

Snow and Ice Removal (Bare Lane Targets)MnDOT Environmental Initiatives

WHAT WE ARE DOING

MnDOT has taken a leadership role in finding ways to meet the public and economic demands for safe winter driving conditions, while striving for the most intelligent use of salt and other winter chemicals. Historically, MnDOT has worked with national partners to develop and utilize technology including the Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) and Mobile Data Collection (MDC) to identify optimal salt/chemical usage. The agency aims to use no more than ten percent more than the recommended salt use suggested by MDSS for a sustainable level of salt usage.

MnDOT's salt sustainability efforts include using liquid chemical de-icers (in addition to salt or sand), plows to mitigate the amount of salt needed, driver training to teach new snow plowing techniques, research, and alternative de-icers. MnDOT also uses mobile observations to optimize salt usage and decision making. MnDOT also uses an array of blowing snow control measures such as living snow fences, structural snow fences, standing corn rows, strategically placed bales, native tall grass wildflower prairie plantings, and road design elements to further reduce the need for snow management.

LEARN MORE

MnDOT Office of Sustainability and Public HealthMnDOT Sustainability ReportsMnDOT Winter Maintenance Report