02/27/2012 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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• • 13JIBiiE VMS 11RE%Ti1RR/ST Chloride Usage Education and Reductiionfro!ram help reduce chloride levels and help the community — environmentally and financially. ■ The City of Toronto reduced its salt use by 25% by educating staff on proper salting techniques.The resulting annual savings was approximately $ 1.8 million. ■ Quebec also reduced its salt usage, trained staff on proper salting and plowing techniques, and used pre - wetted salt.The result was a benefit -to -cost ratio of 2.8: I . Cost - Effective Alternatives to Road Salting The DRSCW Chloride Reduction Study suggests a number of ways to improve current road salting practices. Anti -icing applies salt to the roads prior to a forecasted storm, preventing the formation of ice, sue. which provides material and cost savings. Minnesota's Department of Transportation reported using 75% less salt with anti -icing compared to conventional salting practices. Agencies in Montana, Colorado, and Oregon also reported cost savings as high as 41, 52, and 75 %, respectively. Anti -icing liquid was efficiently contained on site at a public works department during a pilot study. (Photo courtesy City of Naperville) Pre - wetting salt has been shown to produce material and cost savings — as much as 53% in some communities. Pre - wetted salt is more likely to stay in the distribution area than be scattered by wind and traffic. Pre - wetting practices are also highly efficient as the salt is treated with moisture, which accelerates the de -icing process. Plowing just before salting prevents the application of salt on heavy snow.Transporting large snow mounds to a disposal facility keeps additional plowing efforts from being inhibited. Proper Salt Storage and Handling is covered in the Salt Institute's Salt Storage Handbook. Practices include locating storage sites down gradient of any water supply wells, protecting salt stockpiles from precipitation and wind by using structural roofs or temporary covers, and storing salt on impermeable pads. Application Practices for Salt Public works departments that continue to use conventional salt application practices can reduce the levels of chloride by adopting the "Just Enough" principle. Communities invest significant funds to purchase salt each season; reduced application translates into financial savings. To provide efficient road clearing, public works staff should be educated in proper spreading procedures and the environmental impact of their work.This includes optimizing spreader routes to eliminate leftover salt and dead - heading (driving without spreading). Spreading equipment should also be calibrated regularly and records kept on the salt used for each truck and route. Actual usage should be compared against prescribed spreading rates to eliminate overuse and inefficiencies. The DuPage River Salt Creek Workgroup The DuPage River Salt Creek Workgroup is a coalition of communities, sanitary districts, environmental organizations, and professionals working to improve the ecological health of Salt Creek and the Upper DuPage River. For more information go to www.DRSCWor-g Funding for this fact sheet is provided in part by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency through Section 3 14 of the Cleon Water Act.