Salt Recommendations for Dane County--2007

Road Salt Recommendations for Dane County

12/21/2007

Adopted by the Dane Co Lakes & Watershed Commission, 1/10/08

1. Install on-board infrared pavement/air temperature sensors on all vehicles (currently on some vehicles only)

2. Add pre-wetting capacity on all new salting vehicles (currently 21 of 58 Dane County units have pre-wetting)

3. Increase number of vehicles capable of anti-icing (applying salt brine) (currently Dane County has two units with anti-icing capability)

4. Collaborate with City of Madison to demonstrate anti-icing (salt brine) technique in Odana Golf Course pond drainage area, using County equipment

5. Implement GPS AVL technology to track trucks and collect accurate material usage

6. Create a task force of public works representatives from various municipalities, with appropriate assistance from WisDOT and other specialists, to develop county-wide:

• An employee snowplow driver training program
• A review of accuracy of weather forecasting
• A program to track salt use and promote reporting on an annual basis, including voluntary reporting by private applicators (with possible coordination through the Public Health Department for tracking and inclusion in their annual report)
•  A common advisory alert program for classifying winter weather and road conditions to be used to inform the public on expected driving conditions

7. Utilize existing education and outreach channels, including the Dane County Lakes & Watershed Commission and the Madison Areas Municipal Storm Water Partnership (MAMSWP) to

• Expand general public awareness of salt use and its impacts
• Provide educational materials to homeowners
• Provide educational material and voluntary training for private applicators
• Sponsor a workshop of experts to recommend next steps in:  *Using modeling to predict future levels of chlorides in Madison lakes and streams under different scenarios of salt use (versus other alternatives) and to estimate the ecological and economic impact of these various scenarios, and...   *Monitoring of sodium and chloride levels in storm water runoff, lakes, and groundwater to provide sufficient data for expanded modeling program (to include continuous conductivity monitoring during critical runoff times to better define acute problem areas)

9. Create a plan for implementing (over the next several years) additional demonstrations of alternatives to chloride-containing deicers and anti-icers (examples of non-chloride materials can be found here)

10. Create a process and timeline for the assessing the long-term need for developing policies or regulations for both private and public salt use, which might include requirements for training, certification, and equipment calibration.

11. Ask that municipal public works directors (and Dane County Highways) report back to the L&W on an annual basis regarding the implementation of salt reduction recommendations and programs.