Welcome to the Clean Water Safe Roads public outreach campaign!
Clean Water
The natural beauty of the Adirondacks is not just a stunning backdrop for our lives; this place is an ecological marvel, a source of inspiration, and home to an incredible diversity of wildlife. At the heart of this natural wonder lies one of our most precious resources: clean water.
Adirondack water is at risk
Salt is building up in our lakes, streams, and drinking water
Each year, an estimated 193,000 tons of road salt is applied to roadways in the Adirondacks, posing a threat to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, water quality, and the safety of drinking water.
When a private well is contaminated by salt, it becomes a hazard for people with high blood pressure and other health conditions. The situation can create a costly crisis for local families who need to buy bottled water and replace appliances, pipes, and even drill new wells.
Ecosystems
The application of road salt, primarily sodium chloride, to roads during winter results in a significant amount of this pollutant entering our local waterways. Some Adirondack waterbodies, such as Mirror Lake and the Cascade Lakes, have chloride levels greater than 160-times that of lakes not impacted by road salt.
Road salt tends to change the composition of species in the waters it infiltrates toward more “salt-tolerant” species, “altering the makeup of communities that form the basis of the aquatic food web.”
This can lead to an overall decrease in the productivity of freshwater ecosystems, reduced species abundance, or in cases where there are particularly high chloride concentrations, mortality of aquatic organisms.
When sodium and chloride get deeper, their concentrations can increase and cause oxygen depletion, triggering the release of phosphorus from sediments, and possibly causing cyanobacteria blooms.
Road salt can also potentially increase mobilization of trace metals such as cadmium, lead, copper, iron or zinc, which have been demonstrated to accumulate in fish.
Figures above taken from Ausable River Association and Adirondack Road Salt Task Force Assessment and Recommendations
Human Health
Our neighbors deserve safe drinking water
There are already dozens of known cases of contaminated drinking water here in the Adirondacks.
Affected homeowners face any number of challenges, including salty tasting or even non-potable well water, the need to frequently replace household appliances, and even digging new wells. Salt-contaminated drinking water is not just a costly nuisance – for people with high blood pressure and other health conditions it creates a serious public health hazard.
Hear from homeowners
by reading their Salt Stories:
It hasn't always been this way.
Before the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, Adirondack roads were not usually cleared down to bare asphalt when it snowed. Residents of this rugged region of Upstate New York were used to driving cautiously in winter conditions, in vehicles equipped with seasonal snow tires. Highway departments relied on sand application to increase traction on the roads.
Leading up to the Olympics, local organizers faced the challenge of ensuring clear roads for the thousands of visitors from across the globe who would be coming to the Adirondacks in the middle of winter. They devised a plan that called for nearly six times the amount of salt compared to previous years. Unfortunately, residents and visitors alike were hooked on the ease of driving on bare pavement in midwinter, and the elevated use of salt continued.
Safe Roads
While road salt is a crucial tool for ensuring safe winter travel, decades of salt overuse has had negative consequences for the fragile ecosystem and the health of the people in the Adirondacks. New technologies and practices for winter road maintenance can keep our roads just as safe, while minimizing the impact to our waters.
Clean Water Safe Roads
Why not have both?
AdkAction’s Clean Water, Safe Roads Partnership brings highway departments together with leading technical experts, WIT Advisers, for sustainable snow and ice removal training, creating a learning community for practical salt and sand reduction. This network supports departments to set goals for chloride reduction, and provides training and best management practices for salt application to achieve these goals.
It's working in Peru
Peru, New York, is taking significant strides in improving winter road maintenance techniques, thanks in large part to the dedication of their highway superintendent, Mike Farrell. Under his leadership, the town has embraced innovative practices such as using brine solutions and equipment calibration to reduce road salt usage while ensuring safe winter travel conditions.
The town of Peru is an active member of AdkAction’s Clean Water, Safe Roads Network, and their involvement has been critical in sharing the successes and challenges of working towards sustainable road maintenance practices. Mike Farrell emphasizes the importance of collaboration within the network, saying, “I think it’s important to meet other folks that are doing this, especially for new people just getting started like us.” This spirit of collaboration and shared knowledge is helping Peru and other communities make a meaningful difference in protecting both their environment and their road safety.
Be a part of the solution
(and we don't mean the brine)
Sign
The Clean Water Pledge
salt sustainably at your home or business
Learn tips for salting sustainably and take the Clean Water Pledge to receive a free sticker or car magnet!
Encourage
Your Local Municipality
to embrace best practices for snow and ice removal
Check the list to see if your local highway department is part of the Clean Water, Safe Roads Partnership. If they are, let them know you are supportive of their efforts to protect our resources while keeping us safe! If they aren’t, consider asking your municipality to take steps to reduce road salt. Send our suggested message to your town supervisor, or use it as a starting point:
Watch
Meet
Our Team
at these winter events
to learn more and get some of our giveaways, including fun stickers, winter hats, and salt shakers to help you use just the right amount of salt on your property.
Lake Placid Village Holiday Stroll
December 8-11
Long Lake Winter Carnival
January 13
Empire State Winter Games
February 1-4
Saranac Lake Winter Carnival
February 2-11
AdkAction is a member-supported nonprofit. Our projects address unmet needs, promote vibrant communities, and preserve the natural beauty of the Adirondacks for all. AdkAction has been studying, educating, and advocating for a reduction in road salt since 2010. Learn more about all of AdkAction’s projects for the Adirondacks at AdkAction.org
The Clean Water Safe Roads public outreach campaign is a project of AdkAction, supported by:
Ausable River Association has been helping communities protect our streams and lakes since 1998 and is wpartnering with AdkAction on the Clean Water Safe Roads Public Outreach Campaign. Learn more about AsRA’s work with road salt at Ausableriver.org
This campaign is supported by North Elba’s Local Enhancement and Advancement Fund (LEAF) which provides funds for programs, activities, and facilities that will have direct benefits to our communities and improve the quality of place for both residents and visitors.
The Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI) is a component of Paul Smith’s College whose mission is to protect clean water, conserve habitat and support the health and well-being of people in the Adirondacks through scientific inquiry, stewardship and real world experiences for students. Learn more at Adkwatershed.org
AdkAction is a member-supported nonprofit. Our projects address unmet needs, promote vibrant communities, and preserve the natural beauty of the Adirondacks for all. AdkAction has been studying, educating, and advocating for a reduction in road salt since 2010. Learn more about all of AdkAction’s projects for the Adirondacks at AdkAction.org
The Clean Water Safe Roads public outreach campaign is a project of AdkAction, supported by:
Ausable River Association has been helping communities protect our streams and lakes since 1998 and is wpartnering with AdkAction on the Clean Water Safe Roads Public Outreach Campaign. Learn more about AsRA’s work with road salt at Ausableriver.org
North Elba’s Local Enhancement and Advancement Fund (LEAF) provides funds for programs, activities, and facilities that will have direct benefits to our communities and improve the quality of place for both residents and visitors.
The Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI) is a component of Paul Smith’s College whose mission is to protect clean water, conserve habitat and support the health and well-being of people in the Adirondacks through scientific inquiry, stewardship and real world experiences for students. Learn more at Adkwatershed.org
Photo Credit: 1980 #15-10 Bobby by Dan Lundberg, available under a Creative Commons
Attribution Licence 2.0 at https://flic.kr/p/9MRk7y