When It Comes to De-Icing, Less Is More

​Winter is here, and with it comes icy sidewalks and driveways. Before you reach for the salt bag, remember — a little goes a long way. Using more salt doesn’t make ice melt faster; it simply increases chloride-heavy runoff that harms your soil, plants, and local waterways.

Once the snow melts, the salt finds its way into lakes, rivers, streams and groundwater, where it can pose a serious threat to freshwater fish and other wildlife. In Hamilton County, that means every extra handful eventually reaches our creeks, ponds, and the White River. Just one teaspoon of road salt can permanently pollute five gallons of water. 

Excess salt can also build up in your soils-- impacting your grass and planting beds!  

For safe and sustainable winter maintenance:

• ​Shovel first. Clear all snow from driveways and sidewalks before it turns to ice.
• Salt should only be used after the snow is removed and only in areas needed for safety.
• Untreated salt stops working if the temperature is below 15 degrees. When temperatures drop that low, switch to sand for traction or choose a different deicer formulated for colder temperatures.
• Distribute salt evenly, not in clumps. Clumped salt is wasted salt.​
  • ​Use salt sparingly — a 12-ounce coffee mug of salt covers about ten sidewalk squares or a typical driveway.
• Follow the label directions. If only a handful of rock salt per square yard is needed, using more isn't more effective, just more expensive.
  • Grains of salt should be roughly 3 inches apart from each other
• Sweep up extra salt to reuse.
• Don't use rock salt within 5-10 feet of salt-sensitive plants.
• Store in a waterproof container to prevent leaks or spills

​Small changes like these protect both your safety and our shared water resources. Let’s keep our winter walks safe and our water clean.

To reduce the use of salt, use no more than a cup or a cup and a half of rock salt for every 10 sidewalk squares or every 2 parking spaces. There should be about 3 inches between each of the salt grains. Image: Lake Superior Streams

---

Potential Harmful Effects of Salt Deicers

• Contaminates drinking water reservoirs and wells by infiltrating nearby surface and groundwater
  • High sodium in drinking water affects people with high blood pressure and low-salt diets
• Can kill or endanger wildlife
  • Toxic to some fish, bugs, and amphibians or can harm their ability to reproduce
  • Deer lick road salt, increasing the chances of vehicle collisions with deer
  • Kills zooplankton, which impacts the food chain
• Damages private and public property
  • Corrosive to plumbing, vehicles, roads, and bridges
• Irritates dogs’ and cats’ feet by causing burns and inflammation, which are worsened by licking
• Kills roadside and driveway plants and grass
• Chloride moves with water, and the process to treat and remove it from water is expensive 

---

​More info and resources:
​UVM - Reducing deicing salt use 
Guide to Salt Management for Homeowners: Deicing and Water Softeners