Clean water. We need it for drinking. We need it for recreation. We need it because it is healthy for humans, plants, fish and wildlife. It is especially important in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park, where about half of the land is protected by the state of New York.

That’s why finding solutions to the road salt problem is a priority.

We’ve heard stories about salt-contamination in local wells and about salt pollution in local rivers and lakes. We all agree that it is an environmental issue that needs fixing.

But we also need safe roadways, driveways and sidewalks in the winter.

Balancing those needs — safety and clean water — is at the heart of efforts by a number of local organizations and state officials. As we head into the colder part of the year, snow and ice is on our minds. It is also on the minds of highway crews who are at the front line of this balancing act.

Two notable road salt news items came across our desks this past week:

– The state Department of Environmental Conservation’s Rock Salt Survey; and

– Adirondack Champlain Regional Salt Summit.

Learning more about the rock salt problem, its impacts on the environment and how we can help alleviate the situation is paramount if we are to keep our water safe.

We encourage people to take the DEC’s survey (“https://tinyurl.com/2ynr8ns8″ rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>https://tinyurl.com/2ynr8ns8) to help state officials learn more about rock salt use from citizens and businesses. The survey will ask about rock salt perception, snow and ice maintenance at home and on roadways and basic questions such as, “Do you put snow tires on your car in the winter?” and “Which form(s) of snow and ice removal is used at your personal residence?”

We also encourage people to attend the 9th annual Adirondack Champlain Regional Salt Summit (https://tinyurl.com/yck4mtdy) on Tuesday, Oct. 1, either virtually or in person at the Lake Placid Conference Center. Organized by the Lake George Association, it is a free, full-day event featuring talks and demonstrations covering how road salt harms the environment and drinking water. It also gives solutions to reduce road salt use without sacrificing safety. The summit is designed for municipal public works, private contractors and businesses, elected officials, water conservation groups and the general public.

We are lucky to have scientists and organizations in the Adirondack Park actively seeking solutions to the road salt issue. Two names that stand out in the summit are guest speaker Brendan Wiltse, executive director of the Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute (www.adkwatershed.org), and the keynote speaker, PSC President Dan Kelting, a former executive director of the AWI.

adirondackroadsaltreport

Much discussion of the problems and solutions facing road salt in the region are based from the Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force Assessment and Recommendations report from last year (https://tinyurl.com/4tmdde2x). It is a valuable resource.

Other clean water resources include:

DEC Rock Salt Reduction: https://tinyurl.com/2fvpjkat

ADK Action’s “Clean Water Safe Roads” campaign: https://tinyurl.com/mdzb89be

Ausable Freshwater Center: www.ausableriver.org

Mirror Lake Watershed Association: www.mirrorlake.net

Lake Champlain Basin Program: www.lcbp.org

Lake George Association: lakegeorgeassociation.org

Upper Saranac Lake Association: uppersaranac.com

Using these and other resources, we’re confident that the road salt problems can be alleviated in the Adirondack Park. We’ve already seen successes, such as Mirror Lake in the village of Lake Placid, where local government has partnered with state officials and organizations such as the AWI. We’re looking forward to reporting on more success stories in the future.