Lake County Stormwater Management Commission To Host Workshops On Proper Salting

With water quality impairments from chloride pollution on the rise, a public/private partnership in Lake County is hosting two workshops to educate private contractors and public works personnel on efficient and effective winter salt application.

The Oct. 2 workshop focuses on roadway maintenance, while the Oct. 3 workshop targets sidewalk and parking lot deicing applicators. Both workshops will cover sensible salting and other best management practices with an emphasis on reducing costs, reducing pollution and minimizing infrastructure damage.

“Salt doesn’t go away and can be toxic to aquatic life. We are seeing more salt in our surface and groundwater, and removing it is nearly impossible. We have to wisely apply salt in the amount that is necessary and apply it when it’s most effective to do so,” said Mike Adam, Senior Biologist with the Lake County Health Department. 

Both workshops will be held at the Lake County Central Permit Facility, 500 W. Winchester Rd., Libertyville, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The fee is $35/per per day and includes lunch and course materials. Pre-registration is required. Registration information can be obtained by calling the Lake County Health Department at (847) 377-8030, or link to the registration form at: www.lakecountyil.gov/stormwater.

Participants can voluntarily take a course exam. Those that pass, will be included on a list of trained providers for winter maintenance for Lake County. The trained providers list for snow removal will be posted on the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission and Lake County Health Department websites.

The workshops are primarily for public staff and private contractors that plow, clear, and salt roads, parking lots or walkways, property managers writing de-icing contracts, facility/grounds maintenance staff, distributors of deicing products, and others responsible for winter maintenance.

Training Topics

Training topics include application rates of de-icing materials, calibration of equipment, weather conditions and effects of storing de-icing materials, environmental impacts, selection of de-icing materials, new maintenance methods and de-icing policy.

Fortin Consultants of Minneapolis will conduct the training workshops. A climatologist from the National Weather Service will cover what to expect with this winter’s climate as a special presentation during the workshops.

The workshops are sponsored by the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission, Lake County Health Department, Lake County Division of Transportation, Lake County Department of Public Works, Motorola Mobility Inc., Illinois Lakes Management Association, Conserve FS and Central Salt.

The USEPA reports that the actual annual cost of salt-related damage approaches 15 times the cost of purchasing and applying the road salt. This is due to damage to roads, vehicles, bridge decks and superstructures, water supplies and vegetation. Sensible salting upholds safety standards while reducing impacts to pavement and corrosive effects on bridges and automobiles; reduces ground water contamination and surface water impacts; reduces the need to remove chlorides from drinking water; reduces impact on plants and fish life; and can save money.

Submitted by the Lake County Stormwater Managment Commission