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Contact Information: Phone:(269)327-1258 ext. 4
Melanie StoughtonEmail:
Kalamazoo Conservation DistrictWebsite:
1911 W. Centre Ave.Portage, MI, 49024Sent:January 29, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 29, 2007
Don’t Slip Up this Winter—Use Deicers Wisely!
Kalamazoo, MI- Winter in Michigan has finally arrived. The rain has turned to snow, and the puddles into ice. With snowy weather comes snow days, ski trips, and worst of all, dangerous traveling conditions. Whether it is a slide off along the road or a slip on the sidewalk, snow and ice make it difficult for any person to venture out on a cold day. To make it easier on those icy days, sand and salt are generously applied to our roads, parking lots, and sidewalks to minimize injuries, but are we forgetting about the injuries these substances can do to our environment? Sand and deicers enter into our storm drains and onto roadsides and stream banks,having a detrimental effect on our water quality and wildlife habitats.
Sand, which is thought to be harmless by many people, enters our streams and lakes as snow and ice melt, often carrying nutrients like Phosphorous and toxic chemicals along with it. According to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, sediment is the number one source of water pollution in the state, with poorly planned construction sites generating approximately one hundred tons of sediment per acre per year. While using sand to increase traction on our roads and walkways is beneficial to us, it has adverse effects on water quality and aquatic animals. Sediment entering our streams through urban storm drains not only decreases the available dissolved oxygen for fish and macroinvertebrates like dragonfly larva, but can bury the aquatic floor and fill in microhabitats. This in turn can reduce fish spawning areas, and cloud up the water, making it difficult for some fish to catch their next meal. From a municipal standpoint, sand entering storm drain basins can fill in over time, eventually blocking storm water from leaving the roads.
Deicers or more commonly referred to as “salt”, are primarily used for snow and ice removal. Today, there are many different compounds that can be used as deicers, each having their own advantages and disadvantages. The most common types of deicers used are primarily Sodium Chloride (rock salt) and Calcium Chloride. These salts can help break down ice if the appropriate conditions are met. Deicers work best when most of the snow or ice has already been removed from the road or walkway. Sodium Chloride generally costs less than most deicers, but does not work as well in lower temperatures. It also requires a higher application rate than other types of deicers. Calcium Chloride while more expensive, is more easily released into the environment than Sodium Chloride, working well in lower temperatures by absorbing moisture from the air to release heat. Calcium Chloride also has fewer chemical additives than other deicers which may have two to five percent of Phosphorous, Nitrogen, Copper, and Cyanide combined in the product.
So which is better? Both Sodium Chloride and Calcium Chloride have the potential to burn vegetation and increase the salinity of surface and groundwater, harming our soils and wildlife. Alternatives to these products are slowly becoming available to the public, but at a cost. What does this mean for a home owner that just wants to get rid of snow and ice on their doorstep and sidewalk? The Clinton River Watershed Council suggests a few ideas that could help alleviate the snow and ice, and your pocketbook:
◦Shovel early and often: Deicers work best when only a thin layer of ice is there.
◦Reduce the use of deicing products by limiting access to your home to only one entrance.
◦Buy deicers in pellet form rather than in flakes to increase ice penetration.
◦Make sure to read the label on the deicer to know what temperatures it works best in, and only apply at suggested temperatures rates. Rock salt has a recommended application rate of one handful per square yard treated, while Calcium Chloride can be applied at one handful per every three square yards treated.
◦Avoid using left over fertilizers to combat the winter weather! While urea based fertilizers may get rid of some ice, they are expensive, perform poorly below twenty degrees Fahrenheit, and have an application rate of approximately ten times the amount of Sodium Chloride or Calcium Chloride.
For those interested in other alternative deicers, be ready to spend more money! Many alternatives to the traditional salt deicers are two to eight times more expensive, and can be difficult for the general public to purchase. Calcium Magnesium Acetate is perhaps the best alternative deicer with the least impact on the environment; however, in high concentrations Calcium Magnesium Acetate can reduce dissolved oxygen in streams, and has double the application rate of traditional rock salt.
It is inevitable that people will use some type of snow and ice remover this winter to reduce the risk of injury to themselves, or those who walk past their home. But we know we can also reduce the amount of risk to the environment by taking care in our removal selections and applications. For more information on other alternatives and storm water pollution, check out the University of Michigan Occupational Safety and Environmental Health website at the Clinton River Watershed Council at or call INSERT YOUR CONTACT INFO HERE!