Apple Valley's Tips on How to Reduce Ice While Limiting Damage

Deicing salt can be a useful tool when trying to reduce ice on your sidewalk or driveway; but salt pollutes lakes and rivers, killing fish, and can damage concrete and lawns. Knowing how much salt is too much and the best way to apply it can help reduce negative impacts while still allowing for safety.

The city of Apple Valley has provided the following tips to reduce winter salt use:

• Remove snow promptly. The longer snow is left to sit, the more likely ice will form.
• Do not apply salt to thick snow cover. Applying salt to snow on the ground can reduce its effectiveness significantly; try to clear off as much snow as possible first - shovel, plow or snow blower.
• Fix drainage problems on your property. If you know there is always an icy spot on your driveway that forms from melt water dripping off your roof, it may be time to consider installing gutters or other methods to redirect the melt water to a safer location.
• Switch to sand at temperatures less than 15 degrees. Most deicing salts loose effectiveness below 15 zero; adding more salt does little to improve the situation and leads to more damage. Sand does not melt ice, but it can provide traction. Sand can also damage floors when tracked inside, so it is best not to use it unless absolutely necessary.
• Don’t apply more than 4 pounds of salt (about 4 coffee cups) for every 1000 square feet of driveway. Adding more salt will not increase effectiveness and leads to unnecessary damage.
• Use a handheld seed spreader for uniform distribution. Even distribution of the salt will prevent waste.
• Consider pretreating problem areas with a brine of one cup of salt dissolved in two cups of water if you know a storm is coming. Brines applied by spray bottles use less salt, keep the salt in place where you need it, and prevent ice from binding to the pavement surface in the first place. If you know you will be using salt, this is a good option.

Image via Pete, Flickr, used under Creative Commons