PLATTSBURGH - Snow and ice can be beautiful, but can also be treacherous and hazardous. That is why municipalities budget thousands of dollars every year for plowing and salting the roadways. Individual homeowners also maintain their properties through shoveling and salting - but at what cost to the environment?
It's estimated more than 20 million tons of sodium chloride are dumped on roadways across the country every year in an attempt to keep roads safe. Drivers know what salt can do to the appearance and performance of their vehicles. As it turns out, snow-melting products can have environmental implications as well.
Concerns about salt and chemical snow-melting products involve runoff that can contaminate nearby water supplies.
"We really have spent an amount of time looking at the issue," said Plattsburgh Town Supervisor Bernard C. Bassett, "especially in our rural areas where a lot of people still have wells and obviously we're plowing along the Saranac River."
Bassett added the town highway department did look at a liquid mixture used in Vermont, but decided it wasn't appropriate for the area.
Minnesota researchers discovered in early 2010 that, in the urban Twin Cities area, 70 percent of the salt applied to roads stayed within the region's watershed. Sodium chloride alone can affect the pH of water, changing the environment in which marine life lives, potentially causing certain species to die off and creating dead zones. It can also affect the sodium content of well water, which can be dangerous to individuals on sodium-restrictive diets.
In terms of vegetation alongside roadways, splashing from salty puddles can cause plants and trees to wither and soil to erode. Plus, salt accumulation at the edge of roads can be enticing to animals who will go there to feed. This can increase the risk of accidents with motorists.
However, Bassett said the amount of salt used is taken into consideration in the town.
"What we have done is we have our own pit where we do our own mixing of salt and sand and we're very careful to make sure that the mixture is meeting the needs," he said. "If you need to sand the road or if you need a salt mixture that's also going to be doing some melting of ice."
"[The highway department is] sensitive to the percentage of mixture as well as the conditions of what's needed," he added. "We're sensitive to the environmental issues and because of costs. Salt is expensive."
At your own home, one of the greener methods of snow and ice removal is simply some elbow grease. Using a shovel or ice chipper reduces the need for salt application. If salt must be used, individuals should use it sparingly.
Other alternatives will not melt snow but can increase traction. Consider applying sand or birdseed to improve footing on icy surfaces. Special boots with improved treads can also provide traction.
Homeowners who are considering replacing a driveway this season may want to spend a little more money on one with snow-melting capabilities. Electric wires beneath the concrete will heat the surface and radiate the warmth upward.
There's no ideal way to protect the planet from snow-removal products, and the argument will remain about what is more important - public safety or environmental safety? However, reducing reliance on salts and other chemical de-icers can do a part in protecting water supplies, animals and vegetation.
Sarah L. Cronk contributed to this report.