Reducing Salt Pollution through Advocacy, Education, and Outreach

Over the last 50 years, salt’s use as a chemical deicer has ballooned, largely unchecked. Salt is cheap, effective, and “disappears” after use. Its (over)application has spread from highways and interstates to parking lots and sidewalks. Changing current norms around salt use involves training winter maintenance professionals on best practices and educating the broader public on the full cost of salt use: damage to infrastructure, vegetation, soils, drinking water supplies, and freshwater ecosystems. Wisconsin Salt Wise (wisaltwise.com) was established in 2015 with an aim of reducing salt pollution through advocacy, education, and outreach. Since then, Salt Wise has been effective in bringing together scientists, multiple agencies, maintenance professionals, and community members to tackle salt pollution. Science-based communication has been instrumental in Salt Wise’s successes in Wisconsin across multiple levels of organization, from working with private applicators to lobbying for legislative change to liability laws. Continued collaboration with research scientists is needed to accurately communicate the status and threats to our freshwater and reduce further degradation of freshwater resources. 

Primary Presenter: Allison Madison, Capital Area Regional Planning Commission (AllisonM@capitalarearpc.org)

Authors:

Allison Madison, Capital Area Regional Planning Commission  (allisonm@capitalarearpc.org)