Be Salt Smart at Home
Midwest winters can be tough on our roads and commuters. Road salt is used to keep our roads safe, but the cost of using too much salt goes beyond the pavement.
Excess road salt damages vehicles and infrastructure, harms our pets and plants and degrades our rivers and wetlands. Our Watershed Group member communities are using best winter practices to keep you safe while using less salt.
Steps to Be Salt Smart
Because there isn’t a salt product on the market that is completely harm-free, the best thing you as a resident can do is to be Salt Smart with your application. Follow the steps below when clearing driveways and sidewalks:
Here's How You Can Help!
Thank you for doing your part to keep your neighborhood safe and protect our rivers! Here’s how you can help:
- Be Salt Smart at home! (follow tips in graphic above)
- Help snow plow drivers do their job better:
- Don’t Crowd the Plow—give snow plows extra space on the road and do not pass.
- Do not park on the street after 2” after a snowfall.
- Remember to not shovel plowed snow pack on the street—it’s unsafe and illegal.
- Be informed! Learn how salt works, how chlorides pollute local waterways, and what your community does to clear roads, parking lots and sidewalks. Check out the links below to learn more!
Dive Deeper
Videos
Blog
Salt Smart Practices for Safe Parking Lots and Sidewalks
Explore some of the Salt Smart practices snow clearing crews use to create safe parking lots and sidewalks during the winter.
Stay Safe and Salt Smart This Winter!
Using Salt Smart practices to prepare for and respond to winter storms, we can stay safe at home, on the road, and in our communities.
Find Your WHY for Being Salt Smart
Prioritizing clean water, avoiding waste, and even protecting your pet are a few reasons why you’ll want to be Salt Smart this winter.
Tools For Clearing Snow at Home
The right tool for the job makes clearing snow much easier. Before you grab the salt, pick up the shovel or wheel out the snow blower.
Salt Smart Water Softening
Be Salt Smart by choosing a salt-efficient water softening system to reduce the impact on local rivers and streams.
Why Salt Brine is Better Than Rock Salt
Salt Brine, a mix of Rock Salt and water, is better at melting snow and ice, reduces waste, and is easy to use at home.
Helpful Websites
WI Salt Wise is a coalition of organizations from across Dane County, WI working together to reduce salt pollution in lakes, streams and drinking water. Their primary goals are to: educate residents, leaders and winter maintenance professionals on salt pollution and solutions, provide training and promote best practices to reduce salt pollution and recognize contractors committed to using the right amount of salt for conditions.
