Over-Use of Road Salt and Limited Liability Legislation What’s the issue? More de-icing salts than are needed are applied each winter in Minnesota to ‘make sure’ roads, parking lots and sidewalks are clear of ice and snow. Concerns about public safety and liability for personal injury and property damage are the main reasons over- salting occur. MnDot, and county and city applicators are already making efforts to decrease salt use on public roads. Commercial contractors face marketplace dynamics that make it difficult to implement salt-reduction practices for fear of increased liability in their marketplace. It makes sense to only apply what salt is needed for public safety, and avoid extra, which only contributes to chloride pollution. Why is it important? Monitoring shows that deicing salts are the #1 source of the chloride that is permanently accumulating in Minnesota’s groundwater and lakes. Chloride contaminates groundwater and drinking water supplies, damages vehicles and infrastructure, soil and plants, pets and wildlife. Especially vulnerable are native Minnesota fish and invertebrates. There is no feasible way to remove chloride from water. Chloride pollution is forever. What we’re supporting. We believe it’s important to stop over salting and start finding ways to reduce our dependence on salts. We support 1) legislation that will provide a limited liability exemption from personal injury and property damage to commercial applicators and their customers when applicators take voluntary training, pass certification, and document use of best practices for maintaining safe winter surfaces, 2) continuous funding for statewide Smart Salt Training for public and private applicators, and 3) chloride reduction as a priority for all state agencies, because road salt is the #1, but not the only cause of chloride pollution. Please use salts carefully: One teaspoon of salt permanently pollutes five gallons of water.

Over-Use of Road Salt and Limited Liability Legislationstopoversalting.org/Downloads/SOSLimLi-Cl.pdfOver-Use of Road Salt and Limited Liability Legislation What’s the issue? More

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Page 1: Over-Use of Road Salt and Limited Liability Legislationstopoversalting.org/Downloads/SOSLimLi-Cl.pdfOver-Use of Road Salt and Limited Liability Legislation What’s the issue? More

MnDot,andcountyandcityapplicatorsarealreadymakingeffortstodecreasesaltuseonpublicroads.Commercialcontractorsfacemarketplacedynamicsthatmakeitdifficulttoimplementsalt-reductionpracticesforfearofincreasedliabilityintheirmarketplace.Itmakessensetoonlyapplywhatsaltisneededforpublicsafety,andavoidextra,whichonlycontributestochloridepollution.Whyisitimportant?Monitoringshowsthatdeicingsaltsarethe#1sourceofthechloridethatispermanentlyaccumulatingin

Minnesota’sgroundwaterandlakes.Chloridecontaminatesgroundwateranddrinkingwatersupplies,damagesvehiclesandinfrastructure,soilandplants,petsandwildlife.EspeciallyvulnerablearenativeMinnesotafishandinvertebrates.Thereisnofeasiblewaytoremovechloridefromwater.Chloridepollutionisforever.Whatwe’resupporting.Webelieveit’simportanttostopoversaltingandstartfindingwaystoreduceourdependenceonsalts.Wesupport

1)legislationthatwillprovidealimitedliabilityexemptionfrompersonalinjuryandpropertydamagetocommercialapplicatorsandtheircustomerswhenapplicatorstakevoluntarytraining,passcertification,anddocumentuseofbestpracticesformaintainingsafewintersurfaces,2)continuousfundingforstatewideSmartSaltTrainingforpublicandprivateapplicators,and3)chloridereductionasapriorityforallstateagencies,becauseroadsaltisthe#1,butnottheonlycauseofchloridepollution.

Pleaseusesaltscarefully:Oneteaspoonofsaltpermanentlypollutesfivegallonsofwater.

Page 2: Over-Use of Road Salt and Limited Liability Legislationstopoversalting.org/Downloads/SOSLimLi-Cl.pdfOver-Use of Road Salt and Limited Liability Legislation What’s the issue? More

HowwillLimitedLiabilityhelp?

Limitedliabilityisgoodforbusinessitofferscommercialapplicatorsandpropertyownersprotectionfrompersonalinjuryandpropertydamagelawsuits,whileprovidingvoluntaryincentivesforthemarketplacetosupportsalt-reductionbestpracticesandmaintainpublicsafety,somethingmanycommercialapplicatorssupport.Limitedliabilityisgoodforcleanwaterbecauseitreducesthetotalamountofsaltused,particularlyreducingtheextra‘makesure’amountsthatdonotmeltice,butjustpollute.Itgetsbothcommercialandpublicapplicatorsusingbestpracticestandardsandworkingtowardsalt-reductiongoals.ManyMinnesotansarenotawareofthethreatthatchloridepresentstothewaterstheylove.Educatingapplicatorswillincreaseawarenessabouttheproperdeiceruseincludinghowtohireapplicatorsthatusebestpractices.Whatexpensiveproblemswillthiswillprevent?

• LossofrevenueandpleasurefromdecliningfishingandrecreationinMinnesota• Prematureagingofinfrastructuresuchasbridges,roads,buildings,landscaping• Contaminatedgroundanddrinkingwater-nopracticaltreatmentoptionsexist• Overspendingonsalt,it’sapplicationandcleanup-wastefuluseofresources

Whatexamplesdowehave?

• SimilarlegislationinNewHampshire(2013)andIllinois(2016)• BillHistoryinMinnesota

o 2016SF3298:Hawj,Bonoff,MartyandHF2594Kahn,Erhardto 2017HF1016Hausman

WhereisMinnesotawithchloridenow?Sincethe1990’swintermaintenanceprofessionshavebeenusingincreasingamountofsaltthatisaccumulatinginMinnesota’swaters.

• Statewide:47chlorideimpairmentsstatewideandelevatedchloridein30%wells(MPCA)

• TwinCities:39impairments,19lakes,16steamsand4wetlands,30%ofmonitoringwellstestedinshallowaquifersexceedchronicstandard.(MPCA)

• 365,000tonsofroadsaltisappliedannuallyintheTwinCities(MPCA);78%staysintheTwinCitieswaters(Stefanetal.2008).

• 81%increaseinchlorideatHastingDam1985-2014(MCEAStCroixWatershedResearchStation)

WhoisStopOverSalting(SOS)?StopOverSalting(SOS)isagroupofMasterWaterStewardswhofoundcommongroundintheirawarenessofchloridepollution.TheyadvocateforstrategiesthatreduceoversaltingandmaintainsafesurfacesonMinnesota’sroads,parkinglots,[email protected].