"And then we see, my goodness, information technology is everywhere, and it is a growing trouble.". Each week, we explore unique solutions to some of the world's biggest problems. Anything Japanese will still be prone to a bit of rust. Oops. America's addiction to road salt a threat to the environment This can cost a bit more upfront. Local towns at present utilize "alive edge" snowplows that conform to the shape of the road and can significantly reduce salt utilise. North/South Dakota. How do these liquid treatments affect the environment, my automobile and electrical utilities? Winter weather: Road salt use degrading roads, bridges, scientists say Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Elite Member. Easy to find a rust-free specimen of most cars here. When should I take my wedding ring off in a divorce? 4.1K views, 50 likes, 28 loves, 154 comments, 48 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from 7th District AME Church: Thursday Morning Opening Session https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/07/climate/road-salt-water-supply.html. Extra salinity can also affect oxygen levels and createdead zones in lakes. In some areas, that makes the drinking water saltier, bad news for people trying to cut their sodium intake. Geologic Mapping and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, Mineral Commodity Summaries and Minerals Yearbooks, published annually by the U.S. Geological Survey, provide global statistics and information for over 90 minerals and materials. ", Shi chosen the effects on concrete bridges especially "shocking.". It also includes applicators learning how to calibrate their equipment to know how much salt theyre using in the first place, as well as when to stop salting (below 15 degrees Fahrenheit, for example, salt is much less effective). 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.. Every state allowing legal sales applies an excise tax to cannabis based on the product's quantity, its price, or both. (Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service/Getty Images). It just happens to be the easiest and cheapest to get ahold of. Porous or permeable pavement allows standing water to seep through, removing water from roads that would normally go through freeze-thaw periods, thus preventing ice formation on the roads. Rock salt used for deicing may contain other chloride minerals in addition to sodium chloride (see next page). Chloride tin swallow away at a car's undercarriage or whatsoever other exposed metal and crusade corrosion and rust. Roadway deicing in the United States - American Geosciences Institute 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). A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Merely it comes at a cost: De-icing salt degrades roads and bridges, contaminates drinking water and harms the surround, according to a slate of scientists expressing growing alarm. Road Salt and Sand - Connecticut General Assembly tennessee. Oftentimes, extra chemicals will be mixed in. Highways depots, spreading vehicles and the de-icing agent all contribute, but with good management, this burden can be minimized.. Salt has a nasty habit of finding places where it can do the most damage. While there is not a perfect solution to the issue, there are alternatives that can significantly reduce salt usage without compromising driver safety. "But if you don't, then salt is still the cheapest option, and unless that changes, I don't see it going away for the next 20 to 30 years.". Mostly used in the chemical industry. More snow fell in the Mid-Atlantic States and the Northeast on Friday. Grist is powered by WordPress VIP. 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. 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. Nineteen of the 22 states we contacted regulate storage; three do not. For the same reason, road salt threatens pipes that bear drinking water, scientists say. The big drawback for many of these solutions, Shi notes, is that they tend to cost more. Monthly or one-time, donate now when all donations will be matched by a generous group of donors. He estimates the US now spends $2.3 billion each year to remove snow and ice from highways. If officials have advance warning of a storm, they can spread salt on the roads beforehand. The consequences of insufficiently salting roads were seen this week, when hundreds of drivers were stranded by a snowstorm on Interstate 95 in Virginia. 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. There are huge upsides to salting the streets. 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. Top 3 producing states: LA (32%), NY (27%), OH (24%). Why is salt used on snow-covered roads in the East but not in - Quora Facebook, Follow us on CalTrans uses sand, not nearly as effective as salt for safety, but most of the state rarely gets snow or ice. Quantity taxes can be based on either overall product weight or the amount of THC sold. Why doesn't Oregon use salt on roads during snow and ice? Some alternatives to road salt. 1999-2023 Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Calcium chloride (CaCl2) is safer for the environment but is three times more expensive than NaCL and so is typically reserved for use in vulnerable areas. CDOT moved to using mainly liquid de-icers, a.k.a., mag choride and the like, instead of old-fashioned sand and salt. Arkansas. Ohio. Another alternative is the use a 50/50 salt and sand mixture. The fight to make it harder for landlords to evict their tenants, On Succession, Sisyphus rolls the rock uphill, Ecuadors political instability, explained, In Sudan, the US government finally begins evacuating its citizens. Most state policies regarding salt and sand storage are influenced by a concern for surface water and ground water contamination by salt. Salt consumption in the United States, 1940-2014. Sweet 16: March 28-29. That should trouble recreational fishers everywhere, he said, but salt contamination has also made it into drinking water, particularly in areas where people rely on deep wells to reach groundwater. PDF Road Salt Use in the United States - Transportation Research Board Many cities now use beet juice or pickle brine to help salt and sand stick to roadways and minimize runoff. INTERSTATE 70, COLORADO It's a catch-22 of winter driving: To allow faster and safer travel, transportation officials in the 1990s began splashing a salt-based de-icer called . Washington is salt free except for the recent change in Seattle. North carolina. Known as one of the greenest commercial buildings in the world, since it opened its doors on Earth Day in 2013 the Bullitt Center has been setting a new standard for sustainable design. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS "There are all kinds of potential cascading effects.". Traditional geoscience departments commonly require 60 semester hours of geology and geology-related elective courses to achieve a BA/BS degree. So are roadway safety and mobility. Chloride levels were on the rise in 84 percent of the urban streams USGS studied. And that's just today. Top rock salt producing (yellow) and consuming (blue) states in 2014. cars, trucks, concrete, and steel bridges. it reactivates the brine and stops the frozen precipitation from adhering to the road surface. 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. The de-icer that tames Western roads - High Country News 0:00. The Minnesota bill, if it passes, would be one of the first state laws to encourage smart salting, a way to reduce road salt use while still maintaining winter safety. 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]. 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. As snow and ice melt on roads, the salt washes into soil, lakes and streams, in some cases contaminating drinking water reservoirs and wells. At higher concentrations, Relyea's piece of work shows salt tin change the sex of tadpole populations, making them x% more male. It then costs. Engineers like Shi. Yes, CDOT uses salts on the roads. This makes salt-reduction programs like Minnesotas crucial, Hintz said, to flatten the curve of freshwater salt concentrations. Its vital reporting made entirely possible by loyal readers like you. 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. In Britain, the Salt Association said that salt was the cheapest form of de-icing material and that it had a low environmental impact when used responsibly. Twenty states have legalized the sale of cannabis for general adult use, and sales are already underway in 19 of those states. Each year, Americans spread more than 48 billion pounds of salt on roads to ward off the effects of winter. Road salt, which works by lowering the melting point of ice, is cheap and effective, reducing car accidents by up to 85 percent. Maybe Alaskans dont like road salt. This allows commuters to travel to the hospital for those who need it and for emergencies. Of the 60 hours, typically half are required courses in geology. A 10% salt solution will lower water's freezing point from 32 F (0 C) to 20 F . Some say that salts corrosive properties slow down once the salt dries into a crusty white dust all over your car. Many experts believe private industry could be using more salt than government, only no ane's tracking that. Following Siy's model, the tiny town of Hague, New York, reduced its salt utilise by 22% in ii years, saving $38,000. The sand doesn't help to melt the snow or ice but increases traction, reducing the amount of road salt required. Microsoft quietly supported legislation to make it easier to fix devices. Mostly used in roadway deicing. kentucky. Chloride, in particular, binds tightly to water molecules, and can be highly toxic to organisms like fish, amphibians, and microscopic zooplankton, which form the basis of the food chain in a lake or river. High chloride ratios in the Flintstone River contributed to Michigan'southward lead drinking water crisis, and the aforementioned problem impacts smaller systems across the country as well, said Edwards, the adept who helped uncover Flint'south drinking water problem. 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). Due to its chemical properties, route common salt can exacerbate the damage roads already suffer each winter when they repeatedly freeze and thaw. It does the aforementioned to pipes that conduct drinking water, causing lead contamination in some places. New York tops the listing in both overall costs ($373 million a year from 2015-18) and toll per lane mile ($8,451). Its because they dont use salt on the roads, so dont need rust protection. A lot of modern rust issues are specific failures arch liners rubbing through paint, and blocked drainage channels. French makes are pretty good for not rusting., Your email address will not be published. Alaska Connecticut Maryland Massachusetts Delaware New Hampshire New Jersey Ohio Pennsylvania Rhode Island Washington D.C. Illinois Indiana Iowa Missouri Maine New York Michigan Minnesota West Virginia Vermont Virginia Wisconsin The worst states for rust are primarily located in the Northeastern portion of the U.S. Road Salt in Winter: Pros & Cons - Bridgestone Tire Twitter, Follow us on These can help prevent salt overuse, and they're already being rolled out in some cities. The reason, she said, is because the states freshwater bodies are in a crisis: 54 lakes and streams are impaired by high salt concentrations, meaning they fail to meet federal water quality standards, while dozens of others are drawing closer to that tipping point, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. But Its Also Bad for the Environment. So in recent years, some states and localities have been looking for ways to reduce their reliance on road salt. The average Americanalready has too much salt in his or her diet, and having saltier drinking water isn't all that healthy.

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