Photo: Town of Wilton Brine Storage Tanks, AdkAction Project Coordinator Kailey Maher
AdkAction is continuing to expand efforts to reduce road salt pollution through its Clean Water Safe Roads Network, supported by a Large Equipment Grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program/NEIWPCC.
Over the past winter season, AdkAction distributed more than $160,000 in salt reduction and monitoring equipment to municipal highway departments and private contractors across the New York side of the Champlain Basin. As communities prepare for future winter seasons, these investments are helping accelerate the use of proven practices that protect water quality while maintaining safe roads.
“Road salt pollution is a widespread challenge across the State of New York, but it is also a solvable one,” said Sawyer Bailey, Executive Director of AdkAction. “By pairing training with access to advanced technology and equipment, we are helping local highway departments and contractors make meaningful reductions in salt use.”
The equipment funded through this grant supports a shift toward anti-icing strategies, which prevent ice from forming rather than treating it after the fact. These approaches are more efficient and require less salt.
To date, equipment recipients include:
- Town of Harrietstown – Salt Spreader Tracking System, Road Temperature Sensors, New Snowplow Blade
- Town of Lake George – Salt Spreader Tracking system, Road Temperature Sensors, New Plow Edges
- Town of Edinburg – Roadside Weather and Pavement Monitoring System
- Town of Wilton – Brine Storage Tanks
- Town of Peru – Liquid Salt Pre-Wet Systems, 5,000 Gallon Brine Tank
- Fire Side Wood – Roadside Weather And Pavement Monitoring Sensor System, Salt Spreader Controller, GPS Dash Camera, Snowplow Cutting Edge, Brine Applicator
Distributed equipment includes brine-making systems, precision sprayers and spreaders, segmented “live edge” plows, and road condition sensors. When used together, these tools can significantly reduce salt application rates while improving road safety. Liquid brine alone, for example, can use up to 75 percent less salt than traditional methods.
This effort builds on AdkAction’s Clean Water Safe Roads Network, which includes more than 100 winter road maintenance professionals from 20+ municipalities and private contractors, committed to reducing salt use. Participants receive training, share data, and collaborate to improve practices across the region.
Equipment recipients also received technical support and training to use and monitor their new tools, tracking metrics such as brine production, application rates, and operational efficiencies. This information will help guide future improvements and demonstrate impact at a larger scale.
“This project is about empowering the people who are out there every storm making real-time decisions,” said Courtney Meisenheimer, Project Manager at AdkAction. “With the right tools and knowledge, they can keep roads safe and protect the water resources their communities depend on.”
Excess road salt threatens freshwater ecosystems, drinking water supplies, and infrastructure. Chloride builds up in lakes, rivers, and groundwater, where it is difficult to remove and harmful to aquatic life.
Through its Clean Water Safe Roads Network, AdkAction has developed a model that pairs hands-on training, data sharing, and targeted equipment investments to support measurable salt reduction. This approach is designed not only to serve the Adirondacks, but to be adapted and scaled in communities across New York State.
As highway departments begin planning and equipment upgrades for future winter seasons, AdkAction will continue supporting network participants through training, peer learning opportunities, and technical assistance while encouraging expansion of this model to communities seeking practical, proven solutions for reducing road salt use.
This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement (LC00A01141-0) to NEIWPCC in partnership with the Lake Champlain Basin Program.
