A city worker threw salt from a truck in New York City last year. But it comes at a cost: De . (Usage can vary wildly by state: An old National Research Councilsurvey found that Massachusetts used about 19.5 tons per lane mile, whereas Idaho usedjust 0.5 tons.). An official website of the United States government. For the same reason, road salt threatens pipes that bear drinking water, scientists say. Cold-weather states that have to use a heavy dose of salt in the winter are sometimes referred to as the salt belt. Every now and again youll see a recall or investigation that is limited to this this specific region. One in x of them reached a threshold where scientists worry nigh impacts on aquatic life. Every state allowing legal sales applies an excise tax to cannabis based on the product's quantity, its price, or both. But as America's highways expanded and became ever more crucial to the economy, that changed. Brining involves laying down a liquid mixture of salt before a storm, which prevents ice from sticking and reduces the need for repetitive salting. In December 2014, astudy by the US Geological Survey found that chloride levels were on the rise in 84 percent of urban streams studied with 29 percent exceeding federal safety limits of 230 milligrams per liter for at least part of the year. Ive never been, so I cant say for sure., Other states such as Alaska, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah are also sometimes considered part of the salt belt.. They also salt all roads near hospitals and schools. Salt in the U.S. (million metric tons)1 Consumption: 56.5 Production: 45.3 Imports: 20.1 Exports: 0.94 Rock salt (million metric tons)2 Consumption: 27.9 Consumption for roadway deicing: 24.5 Domestic production capacity: 22.9 Top producing states*: Louisiana: 7.3 New York: 6.3 Ohio: 5.4 Top consuming states: New York: 3.6 Ohio: 3.5 Illinois: 3.0 ", FollowKyle Bagenstose on Twitter:@KyleBagenstose, Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/12/24/winter-weather-road-salt-use-problems/2741286001/. Salt, after all, has plenty of drawbacks. Some experts interviewed for this story say they've even seen upwards of 500 pounds of straight-salt application used per single-lane mile. The environmental toll and long-term costs of rock salt have inspired some states to search for alternative management practices. Salt thats already been deposited might take years to show up in groundwater, and how much can be safely added without permanently damaging an ecosystem is an open question, he said. New Jersey hasn't contributed data since 2014-15, but the 42 tons it used per mile that year would identify it near the top. While return on investment varies, both Siy and Fay say most solutions pay for themselves within several years. Take a mental break with the newest Vox crossword, Sign up for the At the top are five New England states that used the most salt per mile of road lanes over the past four years: Rhode Island (44.2 tons), Massachusetts (34.6 tons), New York (28.0 tons), New Hampshire (25.1 tons) and Vermont (23.3 tons). (Sodium chloride is essential for life, but too much of it has been linked with high blood pressure and even cardiovascular disease). illinois. Chloride tin swallow away at a car's undercarriage or whatsoever other exposed metal and crusade corrosion and rust. YouTube, Follow us on ClearRoads information shows winter maintenance is expensive. Road salt. YouTube. Its vital reporting made entirely possible by loyal readers like you. It snows more in Georgia than South Carolina and it shows SC uses sand. Please enter a valid email and try again. Nearly half a million tons is used annually in Massachusetts alone for winter road maintenance. For instance, road salt is less effective at melting ice when temperatures drop below 20 degrees Fahrenheit when it gets extremely cold, other chemicals like magnesium chloride or calcium chloride are mixed in. The damage from salting highways alone now costs us $5 billion per year. NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Department of Transportation assures motorists it is stocked and ready to clear roadways of ice and snow. "There are all kinds of potential cascading effects.". Another alternative is the use a 50/50 salt and sand mixture. 4.1K views, 50 likes, 28 loves, 154 comments, 48 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from 7th District AME Church: Thursday Morning Opening Session The concept of smart salting encompasses a range of technologies and techniques. There are, And that's just today. And that's not even counting the cost of salting cities or rural roads. In 2015, he consulted with public works officials in Brick, New Jersey, and establish that road salt contributed to corrosion and high pb levels in the township's drinking water. Present-day deposits of rock salt were formed by widespread evaporation of ancient inland seas.4 Rock salt deposits are geographically diverse, but consumption of rock salt is concentrated in the Great Lakes region (see map on reverse). A report past AAA establish road table salt could exist costing car owners as much as $3 billion annually in repair costs. Even with the recent shortage, salt is extraordinarily cheap, and cities have a limited budget for de-icing their roads. Magnesium chloride (MgCl2)is considered to be safer than NaCl but requires twice the amount to cover the same area, making it more expensive. In our complex society, the public demands that governments keep traffic flowing smoothly and minimize the tragedy of car crashes. But road salt also comes with major drawbacks: Salt is corrosive, chewing through cars, trucks, concrete, and steel bridges. When animals venture into roadways for salt, they're also exposed to dangerous chemicals, such as car exhaust, spilled gas and metal shaving from brake pads. (Eddie Welker/Flickr). At the top are five New England states that used the most salt per mile of road lanes over the past iv years: Rhode Isle (44.2 tons), Massachusetts (34.vi tons), New York (28.0 tons), New Hampshire (25.1 tons) and Vermont (23.3 tons). Missouri. Thats because one teaspoon of salt is enough to pollute five gallons of water, making it inhospitable for life. 5) Pavement that doesn't freeze or corrode. For the rest of the state, it is a no-go. Domestic salt production quadrupled from 1940 to 1970, owing in large part to the adoption of road salt deicing practices on the new Interstate Highway System[3]. Data source: U.S. Geological Survey[2], Total cost of rock salt used for roadway deicing. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact . For all those reasons, many state and local officials have been looking for ways to cut back on road salt use. Are Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney in love, or are they good actors? It just happens to be the easiest and cheapest to get ahold of. Twitter, Follow us on To some extent, that's a concern for humans. Final Four: April 6 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Feb 07, 2012 #8. Cars would don snow chains. more futuristic technologies, like "smart" snowplows that are thriftier with salt, or ice-free pavement. But it helps. Arkansas. You are free to share or distribute this material for non-commercial purposes as long as it retains this licensing information, and attribution is given to the American Geosciences Institute. Why isnt Alaska, our northernmost and one of the snowiest states, on the primary list? De-icing allows traffic to keep moving, a benefit worth many billions of dollars. These residents are trying to keep them out. Geoscientists help to find and mine salt and other industrial minerals that help keep our roads safe. As part of our commitment to sustainability, in 2021 Grist moved its office headquarters to the Bullitt Center in Seattles vibrant Capitol Hill neighborhood. Does your department have a Licensure Qualifying Program? More than 20 million metric tons of salt are poured on U.S. roads each winter, according to an estimate by the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in New York, and the environmental costs are growing. America's habit to road salt the "acid pelting of our time" tin be cured, said Eric Siy, the executive director of The Fund for Lake George, a nonprofit supporting scientific efforts at the lake in upstate New York. Top 3 consuming states: NY (13%), OH (12%), IL (11%). Shi says these are still further off, though, and likely to be pricey. Some areas will salt less due to it being a watershed area. Oops. Shi studies how connected infrastructure, such as cars tapped into an information-sharing network, can increase winter road safety. The Ike Dike is the Army Corps of Engineers largest project ever. Mostly used in the chemical industry. Heres why thats a big deal. Some say that salts corrosive properties slow down once the salt dries into a crusty white dust all over your car. In 2013 the State launched, the "New Hampshire Road Salt Reduction Initiative" to address the high number of waters impaired by chloride (19 water bodies in 2008, and 43 in 2012). Some alternatives to road salt. But where does it go afterward? Road salt, which works by lowering the melting point of ice, is cheap and effective, reducing car accidents by up to 85 percent. After the snow or ice melts, however, the remaining sand mixture gets washed away, filling catch basins or adjacent waterbodies with sediment, which then requires additional work hours and money to maintain and keep the basins clear. Shi says these are still further off, though, and likely to be pricey. 3) Using different chemicals. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. AAA suggests drivers wash and clean their vehicles regularly during winter to help offset the effects of road salt and to limit driving when salt and other de-icing chemicals are at their highest concentrations. Nissen hopes that this protection will encourage more private applicators to be certified in smart salting practices, which are not only better for the environment but help save money on salt. At worst? One 1992, found that spreading salt can reduce car accidents by 87 percent during and after a snowstorm. Thats changed in recent years. But solutions like this one are expensive and labor-intensive, said Amy Sasamoto, an official with the citys downtown development district. Indiana. Im not really sure. Road salt also corrodes vehicles and bridges, causing $5 billion in annual repairs in the United States, according to an estimate by the Environmental Protection Agency. The first natural-gas banin the USjust got shotdown, Bidens new vehicle emissions rules could speed the EV revolution, What a pending Supreme Court ruling could mean for Bidens new clean water protections, Amid fracking boom, Pennsylvania faces toxic wastewater reckoning. So in recent years, some states and localities have been looking for ways to reduce their reliance on road salt. Kansas. The initial application of a well-crafted brine can reduce the amount of salt used from 300 pounds per single-lane mile down to 80 to 90 pounds of salt per single-lane mile. "We've become salt-addicted over the last 50 years, and we're now discovering that there are all these hidden costs," says Xianming Shi, an associate professor in civil and environmental engineering at Washington State University. Currently, only a small fraction (5%) of the sand dispersed in Rhode Island is removed; the rest gets washed away into adjacent water bodies: clouding the water and making it difficult for aquatic plants to photosynthesize. CalTrans uses sand, not nearly as effective as salt for safety, but most of the state rarely gets snow or ice. 0:35. What this means for wildlife upwards the nutrient chain needs more study. During the winter, road salt is applied to the roadway to melt snow and ice. The consequences of insufficiently salting roads. But during the winter,they often wander up to salted roads instead increasing the chances of crashes and roadkill. In the U.S., using salt to de-ice roadways is a technique dating to at least the late 1930s. Salty roads also attract animals like deer and moose (who love licking up the salt), increasing the probability of accidents and roadkill. It's unlikely, for instance, that we'll get self-heating roads in remote mountain passes, where ice is really a problem. DOT also says it does not use magnesium chloride when the temperature is above 25 degrees Fahrenheit because salt alone is effective at those temperatures. Since 1988, the town of Holland, Michigan, has invested in a snowmelt system, which uses pre-heated water from a nearby power plant to warm sidewalks and roads through a network of pipes underneath the surface, eliminating the need for salting. Unfortunately, no one's yet figured out a perfect alternative to salt, which is still the cheapest and easiest way to unfreeze roads. It can prevent re-freezing better than it can melt snow and ice. Local towns at present utilize "alive edge" snowplows that conform to the shape of the road and can significantly reduce salt utilise. Sweet 16: March 28-29. Engineers like Shi have been working on more futuristic technologies, like "smart" snowplows that are thriftier with salt, or ice-free pavement. NH, MA, VT, ME all do for sure since I've driven in it. In extremely cold temperatures, sand can freeze in hazardous clumps. Diluting the salt with a bit of water to allow it to spread can help too. "The Romans allegedly salted the globe to vanquish their enemies, and we at present do the aforementioned to ourselves at a once unthinkable scale," Edwards said. If anybody calls in and says, I dont see enough salt, she said, they call the applicator and say get out there and put more salt down.. Top rock salt producing (yellow) and consuming (blue) states in 2014. You need A LOT of a substance to cover freeways and roads in any given state, and a . document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Environmental activist Sue Nissen wears a teaspoon on a string around her neck, which she likes to hand out to lawmakers during hearings in the Minnesota state legislature. In the skin cells, ice crystals develop, and blood flow decreases, depriving the tissues of oxygen. Oftentimes, extra chemicals will be mixed in. And that's led to a search for alternatives. The country used about 164,000 tons of road salt in 1940, U.S. Geological Survey data shows. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The issues encountered in Brick could occur in any of the thousands of public water systems across the country where road salt is used, Edwards said, adding that local water departments often don't empathise the risks of high chloride levels. Traditional geoscience departments commonly require 60 semester hours of geology and geology-related elective courses to achieve a BA/BS degree. Localized weather forecasts help conceptualize needs so that trucks using a alkali solution can pretreat roads and reduce overall table salt use. The real dream is that one day we might havepavement that's resistant to freezing, or roads that can heat up to melt ice (solar-powered roads, perhaps). Ohio. You can also contribute via. The estimated average abundance of tantalum in Earth's crust is about 2 parts per million (or 0.0002%). The American Geosciences Institute represents and serves the geoscience community by providing collaborative leadership and information to connect Earth, science, and people. Once salt has entered the environment, there is no effective way to remove it. As snowstorms sweep the East Coast of the United States this week, transportation officials have deployed a go-to solution for keeping winter roads clear: salt. 4) Beet and tomato juice de-icers. Other alternatives include adding biodegradable substances like beet juice, pickle juice, and molasses to the salt solution to enhance performance. For example, sharing real-time information about road conditions can help road maintenance crews know how much salt to use, reducing oversalting. (The salt works by lowering the freezing temperature of water, preventing ice from forming.) Rust on certain parts of a car can create a slew of problems ranging from hydraulic brake system leaks to subframe damage. Accuweather.com. New Hampshire passed a similar law in 2013, while Wisconsin also has a salt wise training program. How a few industrial minerals supply a vital transportation service. The town spent over $1 million to install the first 250,000 square feet of underground tubing, and the system still only encompasses a few streets in Hollands main downtown shopping area, although Sasamoto said it could expand along with future development. Sometimes youll even receive an anti-corrosion warranty with a new car that lasts a couple years. ", Shi chosen the effects on concrete bridges especially "shocking.". Deicing chemicals melt ice by lowering the temperature at which it melts. cars, trucks, concrete, and steel bridges. to the salt and wander onto roads, increasing the risk of crashes. Putting ice or any other chemical cold pack directly on the skin, whether manufactured or not, can cause frostbite in minutes. And so, they can consider new approaches similar the ones in Lake George. Still, these only reduce the need for salt somewhat; they don't solve the problem entirely. More snow fell in the Mid-Atlantic States and the Northeast on Friday. ClearRoads data tracks merely state governments; salt used at private businesses and parking lots, on residential driveways and sidewalks, and by some cities isn't captured. Kathy Hochul of New York announced appointments to the Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force, established to review road-salt contamination. The freezing point of the water is lowered once the salt is added, so it the salt makes it more difficult for . In some areas, moose and elk get attracted to the salt and wander onto roads, increasing the risk of crashes. The only newsroom focused on exploring solutions at the intersection of climate and justice. Here's How. In January, researchers from the United States and Canada found that even salt concentrations below the threshold considered safe by governments were causing severe damage to organisms. Brine: Salt-rich liquid, either extracted directly from salt lakes/salty groundwater, or by dissolving salt in water. "Nosotros as a driving public demand to change our expectations to something closer to reality," Fay said. It as well can stunt the growth of fish, similar rainbow trout, leaving them more vulnerable to predators. Of all salt consumed in the United States, about 43 percent is used for highway de-icing, according to the U.S. Geological Survey in 2020. "We're non putting everyone on Mars here," Siy said. But aside from corroding metal and concrete leading to an estimated $5 billion worth of damages each year it also ends up in rivers and lakes, where it has toxic effects on aquatic life. [3], Road salt is a common cause for corrosion of automobile parts, and cars in the salt belt often experience more rapid rusting compared to other regions of the country, rendering them unsafe as brake lines, electrical wiring, and structural components are adversely affected. Winter Road Treatments What kinds of road treatments and techniques does CDOT use? Though seemingly harmless to us, rock salt can have corrosive effects in large quantities that affects cars, trucks, bridges, and roads resulting in approximately $5 billion dollars in annual repairs in the U.S. alone. For instance, road salt is less effective at melting ice when temperatures. "At that place'southward much less out in that location on what (table salt) does to ecosystems," Relyea said. Sodium chloride isn't the only chemical that can lower the freezing point of water. These solutions may not be scalable to something like a four-lane highway, said Xianming Shi, an engineer and the director of the National Center for Transportation Infrastructure Durability & Life-Extension at Washington State University. Dr. Hintz said his review showed that elevated salinity levels in freshwater ecosystems had already caused a reduction in the abundance and growth of freshwater organisms and a reduction in their reproduction outputs. Perhaps the most unexpected effect comes with land animals. The disadvantages of many current treatments have led to interest in new management approaches. The most common deicing method is the use of sodium chloride in the form of crushed rock salt, which is inexpensive, abundant, and easy to mine, store, distribute, and apply. As with all highway maintenance activities, there are environmental implications from winter road maintenance, the organization said in a statement. He estimates the US now spends $2.3 billion each year to remove snow and ice from highways. Support our mission and help keep Vox free for all by making a financial contribution to Vox today. In addition to the testing and use of many of the alternatives described in this article, the initiative recommends using other management practices and policies to reduce the use of road salt. Relyea studies what that means for aquatic life. Information technology's a problem that'south growing exponentially. It may not be big enough. Why doesn't California use salt on roads? Salt will also eat through: To combat salt corrosive awfulness, manufacturers will sometimes treat your car with anti-rust sprays, zinc-rich galvanizing compounds and rubberized underbody coatings that work for a while. Shi has worked on research for newer "smart" snowplows that not only measure pavement temperature but also detect residual salt that's already been laid down, as well as the presence of ice on the road. This makes it easier to plow and add more salt to help clear the roads. By using less salt, the county has reduced its overall cost for winter maintenance of state and county highways by 20 percent since 2018, saving about $1.6 million, Mr. Kern said. Maybe they just ride around on polar bears all winter. In New York, the Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force launched a three-year pilot program this month to reduce freshwater salt contamination. Geologic Occurrence Do they salt the roads in Bend Oregon? Google Pay. The Northeast is a top contributor. And the salty soil near roadways can kill trees and other plants. This is an economic necessity, not to mention good customer . $1.18 billion#, * Based on reported production capacities of industrial salt producers The 800-mile-long Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which starts at Prudhoe Bay on Alaskas North Slope, can carry 2 million barrels of oil per day south to the port of Valdez for export, equal to roughly 10% of the daily consumption in the United States in 20171. Increasingly, truckers and commuters needed to be able to drive in all conditions. Wisconsin. Ingredients in ice melts can range from seriously toxic to non-toxic. Furthermore, excess road salt accumulates on roadside areas killing roadside plants and harming wildlife that eat the salt crystals. Ingestion of these minerals can cause a varying degree of symptoms and health issues. I plowed and supervised snow and ice removal in the Cleveland, Ohio area for over . But environmentalists say the problems associated with road salt are getting harder to ignore. New Hampshire has been successful in reducing road salt use through improved management practices and policy. Take that small nick in the paint of your car that came courtesy of a rogue shopping cart. Ice melts are often made of sodium chloride, but some other common ingredients are potassium chloride, calcium chloride, and magnesium chloride. How to Salt Your Road Yourself How do you clean a silver chain that turned black? "Peradventure your state budget has been decreasing every single year," Fay said. 2013 Passat SE with DSG and Sunroof Nov 2, 2005 #7 Most New England states salt their roads. Welcome to Oregon, indeed. Understandably, the salt belt is also known as the rust belt., The biggest threat salt poses to a vehicle is rust, which is accelerated by repeated exposure to salt. 1Mineral Commodity Summaries 2016, Salt, U.S. Geological Survey2Minerals Yearbook 2014, Salt, U.S.Geological Survey3Special Report 235: Highway Deicing, National Research Council4The Material Flow of Salt, U.S. Department of the Interior5Environmental, Health, and Economic Impacts of Road Salt, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services6Mineral Commodity Summaries 2016, Stone (Crushed), U.S. Geological Survey7Minerals Yearbook, 2015, Magnesium Compounds, U.S. Geological Survey8Mineral Commodity Summaries 2016, Potash, U.S. Geological Survey9Physical and Chemical Effects of Deicers on Concrete Pavement, Utah Department of Transportation10Mineral Commodity Summaries 2016, Sand and Gravel (Construction), U.S. Geological Survey. The secret delegate battle that will decide the 2024 Republican nominee, The Dark Brandonmeme and why the Biden campaign has embraced it explained. For more information, please reference the EPA web page onSalt in the Environment. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); A nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalized web experience. Each week, we explore unique solutions to some of the world's biggest problems. allmountain40. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. As well much salt in the environment can kill small organisms and modify the sex activity of frogs. For example, it says that Massachusetts, Transportation departments can add chemicals to the salt to inhibit corrosion or add coating to steel, but this gets pricey. Colorado. The states in this belt are, as youd expect, found in New England, the Mid-Atlantic and the upper Midwest. It's unlikely, for instance, that we'll get self-heating roads in remote mountain passes, where ice is really a problem. Rock salt used for deicing may contain other chloride minerals in addition to sodium chloride (see next page). The upside? Plus, of course, they don't necessarily pay for all the indirect costs, like the corrosion on trucks or the environmental damage. Environment Canada completed a five-year study in 2001 that concluded road salt should be added to its list of toxic substances, although the department did not actually ban the use of road salt.It also stated that any measures taken in response to the study should be "based on optimization of winter road maintenance practices so as not to jeopardize road safety, while minimizing the .
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