The City of Ann Arbor's Office of Sustainability and Innovations is suggesting that residents be conservative with their outdoor salt usage this winter.
Excessive outdoor salt runoff into the fresh water supply can cause salinization, harming local wildlife and increasing the risk of algal blooms, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Joe Lange is the senior energy analyst for the Office of Sustainability and Innovations. He says a good metric to follow is to use a coffee cup’s worth of salt for every 20 feet of driveway.
“You want to kind of have those little salt granules that spread out about three or so inches from there, instead of just a giant pile in one area.”
Lange says salt may not always be necessary. He says sand, kitty litter and coffee grounds are alternatives to provide enough grit to prevent slippage.
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