OF VOTING TO ELECT A SPEAKER.
UNLESS YOU'RE NEW TO WISCONSIN,
YOU'VE SEEN THE SNOWPLOWS OUT
THIS WINTER.
NOT ONLY CLEANING THE ROADS BUT
LAYING DOWN SALT.
WHILE THIS MAKES IT SAFER FOR
DRIVERS IT'S BECOMING A PROBLEM
FOR OUR STATE'S FRESHWATER
BODIES.
>> ONE THING WE'RE SEEING IN A
LOT OF URBAN AREAS IN WISCONSIN
IS INCREASING IS A LI SALINITY R
LAKES AND RIVERS.
THAT'S A PROBLEM BECAUSE
HISTORICALLY WE WERE BLESSED
WITH A LOT OF FRESHWATER IN
WISCONSIN.
OFTEN WE TAKE THAT FOR GRANTED,
IN OUR WATER BODIES, THAT CAUSES
PROBLEMS FOR AQUATIC ORGANISMS
IN FRESHWATER ENVIRONMENTS.
IT ALSO CAUSES PROBLEMS FOR
HUMANS IF THAT'S THE DRINKING
WATER SOURCE, WE'RE SEEING
INCREASE IN SALINITY IN LAKES,
WE'RE LIKELY ALSO SEEING IT IN
GROUNDWATER, SO THIS KIND OF
GOES BENEATH THE SURFACE.
EVERY COUNTY IN THE STATE, ALL
THIS CAN BE WASHED INTO OUR
WATERS EVENTUALLY.
>> TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IMPACT
AND MITIGATION, WE TURN TO
ELLISON MADISON, PROGRAM MANAGER
AT WISCONSIN SALT WISE.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
ME.
>> SO WHAT IS SALT WISE AND WHO
ARE YOU WORKING WITH?
>> IT ACTUALLY BEGAN IN THE
MADISON AREA WITH THE CITY OF
MADISON, DANE COUNTY, MADISON
DANE COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH, THE
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT, THE
WATER UTILITY, SEEING SALT
CONCENTRATIONS INCREASE IN OUR
LAKES, OUR STREAM AND OUR
DRINKING WATER.
SO THOSE ORGANIZATIONS CAME
TOGETHER AND SAID WE NEED TO DO
SOMETHING ABOUT THIS, AND
INITIALLY THE GOAL WAS REACH OUT
TO SOME OF THE BIGGEST USERS OF
SALT, THE CITIES, DIFFERENT
MUNICIPALITIES WITHIN THE COUNTY
THEMSELVES AND THEY STARTED TO
TRAIN OPERATORS, ANYBODY WHO'S
PUTTING SALT DOWN ON BEST
PRACTICES.
AND THEN FROM THERE, SALT-WISE
KIND OF GREW BECAUSE SOME OF THE
OPERATORS WERE SAYING, YOU KNOW,
THIS IS GREAT, BUT WE ALSO HAVE
PRIVATE CONTRACTORS, THEY'RE
PUTTING DOWN A LOT OF SALT ON
PARKING LOTS AND SIDEWALKS, THEY
NEED TO UNDERSTAND, AND THEN
ALSO THE AUDIENCE OF JUST THE
GENERAL PUBLIC CAME UP, RIGHT,
LIKE IF THE PUBLIC DOESN'T
UNDERSTAND WHY WE MIGHT WANT TO
KIND OF CALIBRATE IN AND
CONSIDER SALT USE, NOT JUST THAT
MORE ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER, WE
NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT MESSAGE
GETS OUT TO THE PUBLIC SO THEY
UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE MAKING
CHANGES AT THE MUNICIPAL,
COUNTY, STATE LEVEL.
>> SO WHAT'S THE TRADEOFF HERE
BETWEEN MAKING ROADS SAFE AND
KEEPING OUR GROUNDWATER SAFE?
>> SO ACTUALLY I'M SO GLAD YOU
ASKED THAT QUESTION, BECAUSE I
REALLY -- WITH SALT-WISE, WHAT
WE WANT TO DO IS KIND OF BREAK
APART THAT DICHOTOMY OF WE'RE
EITHER SAFE OR WE HAVE PURE
FRESHWATER GOING FORWARD.
BECAUSE REALLY A LOT OF THE BEST
PRACTICES THAT THE SALT-WISE
PARTNERSHIP ENCOURAGES ARE
PRACTICES THAT DO NOT REDUCE THE
LEVEL OF SERVICE ON OUR ROADS.
SO THINGS LIKE CALIBRATING YOUR
SALT SPREADERS SO YOU UNDERSTAND
HOW MUCH SALT IS BEING PUT DOWN
AND YOU CAN REALLY MAKE PRECISE
APPLICATIONS BASED ON ROAD
TEMPERATURE AND WEATHER TRENDS.
ALSO USING LIQUID BRINES.
YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THOSE LINES ON
THE HIGHWAY BEFORE A STORM,
SOMETIMES ON MUNICIPAL STREETS
AS WELL.
THOSE WORK TO PUT DOWN A VERY,
VERY THIN LAYER OF SALT.
I LIKE TO DESCRIBE IT LIKE
PUTTING PAM SPRAY MAYBE, COOKING
SPRAY, ON YOUR SKILL ET BEFORE
YOU COOK.
SO IF YOU CAN PREVENT THAT BOND
FROM FORMING BETWEEN SNOW AND
THE PAVEMENT, WHEN THE PLOW
COMES, THE SNOW COMES UP SO MUCH
MORE READILY, THEY USE A LOT
LESS SALT AFTERWARDS, RIGHT?
I THINK YOU PROBABLY SOMETIMES
PUT SOME FOOD ON RIGHT BEFORE
OILING THAT SKILL ET AND THEN
YOU'RE SCRAPING AND SCRAPING
AFTERWARDS.
SO SOME OF THESE PRACTICES,
USING LIQUID BRINES, CALIBRATING
EQUIPMENT, THEY DON'T ACTUALLY
REDUCE THE LEVEL OF SERVICE,
THEY DON'T MAKE THE PAVEMENT
LESS SAFE.
SOMETIMES WE CAN ACTUALLY MAKE
IT SAFER BECAUSE OF THE WORK OF
LIQUID JUST WORKING SO MUCH MORE
QUICKLY THAN SOLID ROCK SALT.
SO IT'S NOT A QUESTION OF SAFE,
AGAIN, OR, YOU KNOW, PROTECTING
THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT IT'S REALLY
JUST ADOPTING THOSE BEST
PRACTICES.
>> SO CLIMATE CHANGE IS A BIG
FACTOR HERE.
IT'S CHANGING WHAT OUR WINTERS
LOOK LIKE IN TERMS OF SIZE OF
STORMS, WHEN SNOW RUNS OFF.
DOES THAT CHANGE THE FORMULAS
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN USING FOR YEARS
ABOUT HOW TO LAY DOWN SALT?
>> YEAH, SO ONE OF THE BIGGEST
PROBLEMS IS WE HAVEN'T
NECESSARILY USED FORMULAS IN THE
PAST.
WE'VE KIND OF JUST THOUGHT SALT
IS GOOD, SOME IS GOOD, MORE IS
BETTER, LET'S CRANK IT UP, PUT
THE SALT DOWN, RIGHT?
SO WE'RE SEEING THOSE
CONVERSATIONS START TO CHANGE.
PART OF IT IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL
ASPECT OF THIS ISSUE, RIGHT,
REALLY SEEING SALT
CONCENTRATIONS INCREASE IN OUR
FRESHWATER, BUT ANOTHER PIECE OF
IT IS THE GROWING COST OF SALT
ITSELF, AND ALSO THE FACT THAT
SALT IS SUPER CORROSIVE, RIGHT?
I THINK A LOT OF US SEE THAT
MAYBE ON OUR PERSONAL VEHICLES,
BUT SALT ALSO REALLY PREMATURELY
AGES ROADS AND BRIDGES, AND SO
WE'RE PAYING A LOT MORE FOR SALT
THESE DAYS AND WE'RE STARTING TO
SEE THE COST OF THAT.
SO I THINK THAT THIS WORK IS
REALLY JUST STARTING TO HAVE
APPLICATORS, THOSE BIGGEST
APPLICATORS ARE SEEING IT FIRST,
KIND OF HOW DO WE DIAL IN AND
RIGHT-SIZE OUR SALT USE AS THE
CLIMATE CONTINUES TO CHANGE AND
WE HAVE MORE MAYBE SNOW EVENT
FOLLOWED BY WARM SPELLS WITH
RAIN, YOU KNOW, WE SEE THAT IF
THERE'S ANY EXTRA SALT THAT'S
BEEN PUT DOWN ON PAVEMENT, IT'S
JUST WASHING AWAY, RIGHT?
INTO OUR STREAMS.
>> SO FOR INDIVIDUALS -- JUST A
FEW SECONDS LEFT, WHAT SHOULD
THEY THINK ABOUT WHEN THEY SALT
THEIR SIDEWALK OR THEIR STEPS?
>> THANK YOU.
SO WE REALLY ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO
SHOVEL, SCATTER, SWITCH, AND
THEN SWEEP.
SO FIRST SHOVEL, GET OUT THERE
AND MOVE AS MUCH SNOW AS YOU CAN
POSSIBLY MOVE KIND OF MANUALLY
OR MECHANICALLY WITH A
SNOWBLOWER.
SO SHOVEL, SCATTER.
IF YOU DO NEED TO USE SALT, JUST
APPLY IT AS NEEDED, BECAUSE
EVERY TEASPOON OF SALT --
5 GALLONS OF WATER.
SO IF YOU'VE GOT EXTRA SALT LEFT
OVER YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE
YOU'RE SWEEPING THAT UP AND
USING LESS THE NEXT TIME.
THE SWITCH COMES IN AT COLDER
TEMPERATURES.
IF YOU DROP BELOW -- IF THE
TEMPERATURES DROP BELOW
15 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, SALT IS
NOT EFFECTIVE ANYMORE SO WE NEED
TO SWITCH AND USE SAND FOR
TRACTION OR A DIFFERENT DE-ICER.
>> THAT IS ALL WE HAVE, ALLISON
MADISON, THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
IT WAS A DELIGHT TO BE ON.
>> FOR MORE ON THIS AND OTHER
ISSUES FACING WISCONSIN, VISIT
OUR WEBSITE AT PBSWISCONSIN.ORG