What effects does salting the roads have on the environment? We found out

With snow and ice ridden roads, salt is in high demand across our neighborhoods to ensure the safety of neighbors.While salt has many benefits, it also has many enviornmental and financial downsides as well according to Randy Dykhuis, president of the Capitol Area Friends of the Environment.Dykhuis told me that when the salt reaches the storm drain, it then enters surrounding rivers and lakes which he says can have detrimental effects on wildlife and people. He also said that the salt has a possibility of seeping into unpaved areas such as parks and lawns which could affect the drinking water supply.To combat this, the Capitol Area Friends of the Environment recommend that municipalities and homeowners are using the least amount of salt to possible and using alternatives such as scraping the concrete prior to salting in an effort to use less salt.In the attached story, I spoke with Dykhuis about what these effects are and possible alternatives for the salt.

(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)

As winter weather continues, there’s been a high demand from our neighbors for salt on the roads.

But one local environmental group is asking neighbors to consider some of the effects that salt can have.

I’m your Lansing neighborhood reporter Asya Lawrence here in Downtown Lansing listening to the group break down some of the effects.

“I’m just trying to adapt to it,” said Edward James.

Edward James works at Firehouse Subs right here in Downtown Lansing and snowy streets and sidewalks have made his journey to work more of a challenge.

He is one of many neighbors who feel that there can never be enough salt on the roads ways in conditions like this.

But the Capitol Area Friends of the Environment beg to differ.

“It works, it melts the snow, it melts the ice but unfortunately there are side effects,” said Randy Dykhuis, president of the Capitol Area Friends of the Environment.

Randy Dykhuis tells me that the heavy use of salt can led to a bigger issue.

“A lot of research that has been done particularly over the past 10 to 15 years demonstrates that road salts have increased the saltiness of fresh water in rivers and lakes in not only in Michigan but all over the country,” Dykhuis said.

He says this could led to detrimental effects on wildlife across our neighborhoods but Dykuis doesn’t believe that municipalities and homeowners should stop using salt altogether.

“Because you need safe roads and people need to be able to drive safely and so on but salt doesn’t always have to be the first solution,” he said.

Dykuis and the Capitol area friends of the environment recommend things like scraping streets and sidewalks first before salting, in order to use less.

“I’m looking forward to seeing that and maybe there’s a solution to reducing the amount of salt we’re using while still making it effective for keeping the roads safe,” he said.

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