(Waukesha, WI) – The Wisconsin Salt Wise Partnership gears up to spotlight the threats that road salt poses to our rivers, lakes and drinking water. All the salt that we apply to pavement ends up in our water, making our freshwater less and less fresh each year. Just a teaspoon of salt permanently pollutes five gallons of water.
Wisconsin Salt Awareness Week
January 23 – 27
Daily livestreams 12:30 – 1 pm
Featuring five speakers over five days, daily livestreams will address the environmental toll of deicers, salts in our drinking water, actions the Wisconsin DNR is planning, and how residents can get involved. Register online now:www.wisaltwise.com.
“Water quality data from Wisconsin’s rivers, continue to show significant increase in chloride levels,” states Jayne Jenks, Waukesha County Parks and Land Use conservation specialist. “More salt isn’t better or faster, it is just ‘more’: more damaging to our freshwater ecosystems, to our drinking water aquifers, and to our infrastructure and automobiles.”
Using more salt than is necessary doesn’t improve safety on our roads or sidewalks. Instead, excess salt prematurely ages infrastructure and damages freshwater resources. Municipalities across Wisconsin are dialing in salt use through improved mechanical removal, calibration, and the precision application of deicers. By focusing on first removing as much snow as possible and then right-sizing salt use when necessary, residents and businesses can cut down salt expenditures, protect our freshwater lakes and rivers, and keep pavements safe.
Waukesha County Parks and Land Use is a proud member of the WI Salt Wise Partnership.
Learn more about WI Salt Wise and Wisconsin Salt Awareness Week at www.wisaltwise.com.
