City Engineering is asking the public to reduce salt use when removing ice and snow this winter and join Wisconsin Salt Wise for Wisconsin Salt Awareness Week, Jan. 11-15, 2021.

City Engineering and Wisconsin Salt Wise will have a number of resources next week on social media to help the community take steps toward reducing salt use.

City Engineering will have a series of one-minute Facebook videos covering different topics the community can use to reduce salt use. The “Less Salty” videos will cover the following topics on the City of Madison Engineering Division Facebook page:

• How to Use a Pavement Thermometer to Your Advantage
• Winter Snow Removal Kit
• Missing the Storm, Try Brine
• 3 Questions to Ask a Hired Winter Maintenance Contractor
• Snowblower 101

Wisconsin Salt Wise is hosting half-hour livestream conversations each day from 12:30-1 p.m. on the following topics from experts in the industry:

• Jan. 11: Salty Streams and Formerly Freshwater Lakes: An Ecosystem Perspective
• Jan. 12: Be Salt Wise and Pet Smart
• Jan. 13: Salt your Dinner, not our Drinking Water
• Jan. 14: Put your house/business on a low-salt diet
• Jan. 14: (8 a.m.-12 p.m.) Smart Salting for Property Managers
• Jan. 15: Salt Reduction Champions

Impact of Salt: Why this Matters

It only takes one teaspoon of salt to permanently pollute five gallons of water. When over-salting happens, salt impacts our environment and infrastructure. It travels into our lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands, putting our aquatic life at risk and endangers our freshwater resources.

An easy way to be mindful of salt use, is to be “salt wise.” Wisconsin Salt Wise is a coalition of organizations from across Dane County working together to reduce salt pollution in our lakes, streams and drinking water. Wisconsin Salt Wise is a great resource for residents to learn about salt use, its impacts on our community and salt-certified winter maintenance professionals in the community.