Discover how a consortium is working to reduce salt pollution in the Adirondack State Park. Session from a management-based forum hosted by the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies about the impact of road salt on natural areas and drinking water supplies, with a focus on successful salt reduction strategies being used regionally and nationally. Speaker: Dan Kelting, Paul Smith’s College.

2. • We use a lot of salt
• There is broad interest
in reducing salt use
• There are several
initiatives underway
• These initiatives must
be coordinated &
supported
Take Home Messages

3. Salt Use in the Adirondacks
10,555 lane-miles
of paved roads
Road Length by Type
• 2,830 lane-mi state roads
• 7,725 lane-mi local roads
Annual Salt Use by Type
• 108,000 tons on state roads
• 84,700 tons on local roads
Kelting, D. L., & Laxson, C. L. (2010). Review of
effects and costs of road de-icing with
recommendations for winter road management
in the Adirondack Park. Paul Smith’s College
Adirondack Watershed Institute Report#2010-01.

4. Salted Roads and Surface Water
•GIS-based road runoff
model using DEMs
•6,000 miles of streams
•52% of total length
•195,000 acres of lakes
•77% of total acres
•820 waterbodies
•Potential for regional
salinization
Regalado, S. A., & Kelting, D. L. (2015).
Landscape level estimate of lands and waters
impacted by road runoff in the Adirondack
Park of New York State. Environmental
Monitoring and Assessment, 187(8), 1-15.

5. Median Lake Chloride
Kelting, D. L., Laxson, C. L., & Yerger, E. C. (2012).
Regional analysis of the effect of paved roads on sodium
and chloride in lakes. Water Research, 46(8), 2749-2758.
• <0.5ppm w/no roads
• 14X higher w/roads
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Chloride(ppm)
No Roads (56)
Roads (82)
Regional Salinization

6. Lake Chloride and State Road Density
R2 = 0.84
• State road density explained
84% of the variation in Cl
• Higher state road density
equals higher salt load
• No relationship between
local road density and Cl
• Regional salinization is largely
from state roads (NYS DOT)
Kelting, D. L., Laxson, C. L., & Yerger, E. C. (2012). Regional
analysis of the effect of paved roads on sodium and
chloride in lakes. Water Research, 46(8), 2749-2758.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
0 1 2 3 4
Chloride(ppm)
State Road Density
(lane-mi/mi2)
R2=0.84, p<0.001

7. Local Initiatives
• Smart Salting
• Live Edge Plows
• Salt Brine
• Optimization
• Abrasives
• Sidewalks &
Parking Lots

8. Tracy Eldridge, Highway Superintendent,
Hamilton County
“Highway departments don’t like salt either, it
destroys our bridges, roads, and trucks, and we
care about the environment too, BUT we are on
the front lines and public safety is our primary
responsibility”
“Many things can be done to reduce salt”
“State Legislature needs to be engaged to
address our concerns related to safety and
lawsuits”
From Practitioners

9. Bill Lamy, Superintendent of
Public Works, Warren County
“Some highway departments
don’t have a written plan, I
tell them to put their plan to
paper”
“Be efficient, smart, and take
measurements”
From Practitioners

10. Smart Salting
Apply Road Salt:
• In the Right Amounts
• In the Right Places
• At the Right Times
Considers:
• Level of service
• Type of equipment
• Type of salt
• Application method
• Weather (temperature,
severity, duration)

11. Live Edge Plows
• Clearer/cleaner road
• Reduced salt use
• Lake George Basin
• Village of Lake Placid

12. Salt Brine
• Anti-icing
• 20 to 40% less salt
• Low temperature
effectiveness?
• Lake George
Basin

13. Optimize
• Calibrate
• Measure
• Evaluate
• Adapt
• 20 Trucks
• 8 Municipalities
• Salt, Treated Salt,
Sand + Salt

14. Back to Abrasives

15. Sidewalks and Parking Lots
Sidewalks
& Parking
State
Roads
Local
Roads
AsRA 2018
Mirror Lake Salt Load

16. Regional Initiatives
• Research & Monitoring
• Surface &
Groundwater
• 6 Forums since 2011
• Awareness
• Opportunities
• Collaboration
• Working Group
• GOAL – reduce chloride & maintain safety
• Establish no/low salt zones

17. Working Group
• Road Salt Working Group (2012 to present)
• Local government
• Environmental (advocates & associations)
• Scientists
• Engaging state agencies
• Coordinating & supporting initiatives
• Salt Reduction MOU (ADKAction)
• Road Map to Reduce Road Salt (ADKAction)
• Drinking water quality study &
vehicle and infrastructure costs study

18. Salt Reduction MOU
The undersigned municipal governments agree to:
• Recognize the adverse impacts of road salting
• Reduce use of road salt to reverse impacts
• Adopt best management practices
• Educate & train staff
• Consider alternatives
• Collect data & use consistent methods
• Reduce or eliminate salt use near surface water
• Participate in an annual meeting

19. Road Map to Reduce Road Salt
GOAL: Regional Education & Outreach
• 12-page report: recommendations & research
• Distributed to all 105 towns & villages in the Park
• Widely publicized through media outlets
• Recommendations from Kelting & Laxson 2010
• Research summaries for lay audience
• Introduction/Background
• Results
• Wider Implications

20. Salt Use in the Adirondacks
10,555 lane-miles
of paved roads
Road Length by Type
• 2,830 lane-mi state roads
• 7,725 lane-mi local roads
Annual Salt Use by Type
• 108,000 tons on state roads
• 84,700 tons on local roads
Kelting, D. L., & Laxson, C. L. (2010). Review of
effects and costs of road de-icing with
recommendations for winter road management
in the Adirondack Park. Paul Smith’s College
Adirondack Watershed Institute Report#2010-01.

21. Critical Source Areas (CSA)
Areas of the landscape that contribute
disproportionately high levels of pollution
relative to other areas

22. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
0 1000 2000 3000 4000
Chloride(%ofVariation)
Proximity to Shoreline (feet)
Identifying Critical Source Areas (CSA)
𝐶ℎ𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑒 =
84 × 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑦
132 + 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑦
50% within 200 feet
Kelting et al. 2012

23. Reduce/Eliminate Salt Use in CSAs
• 362 road segments
• Minimum = 70 feet
• Maximum = 4.7 lane-miles
• Total = 141 lane-miles
(5% of total)

25. • We use a lot of salt
• There is broad interest
in reducing salt use
• There are several
initiatives underway
• These initiatives must
be coordinated &
supported
Take Home Messages