For those wishing the technical stuff on freezing point depression https://www.quora.com/How-much-salt-does-it-take-to-melt-ice
Eutectic is -6F, And no benefit beyond 23 percent salt by weight. [image: main-qimg-dce5c26032c29520fb8df775e6392a59-lq.jfif] Gordon Woodington On Mon, Jan 17, 2022 at 9:36 AM Corey Nimmer <[email protected]> wrote: > I’m not sure how much of a concern the salt is for drinking water, and > your conclusions here appeal to common sense. I’d also imagine a basic > water filter would remove a fair amount of sodium. > > With regards to the wildlife impact of road salt, it is pretty thoroughly > documented in peer reviewed studies that runoff salt has a negative impact > on freshwater wetland ecosystems. This article is a literature review > published in Science of the Total Environment this year: > > https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34536879/ > > Basically excessive levels of chloride can decrease plant and animal > biodiversity while increasing the growth of phytoplankton, which can > accelerate eutrophication in a similar way to runoff nitrogen fertilizer. > > Lincoln has a high concentration of wetlands, especially vernal pools, > which are critical breeding grounds for amphibians, some of which are > endangered such as the blue spotted salamander. It’s a subjective opinion, > but I feel like amphibians are essential pieces of Lincoln’s character and > story. I hope there doesn’t come a day when the air isn’t filled with the > sound of spring peepers and wood frogs on warm rainy nights. Not sure if > the data exists, but I’d be interested to know if/how the health of our > wetlands has changed in recent years. > > All that being said, I agree that safety and avoiding auto accidents > should be paramount. I don’t have access to the full article above but it > looks like alternative formulations/chemicals aren’t much better for > wetlands, so an engineering-based approach is necessary to determine a salt > application plan that optimizes safety while minimizing environmental > impact. Chloride levels would have to be tested, critical habitat > identified, accident data analyzed, and alternative application techniques > explored in order to formulate a plan with the goal to apply enough salt to > prevent ice formation while having the lowest possible amount of runoff > into certain areas. Like any initiative this would require time, money, and > support from residents, so I’m not holding my breath, but I think it’s > worth considering, especially if data shows that our wetland ecosystems are > in decline. > > Corey Nimmer > Owner/Photographer > Corey Flint Photography > www.coreyflint.com > (617) 319-3913 > > > > > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to [email protected]. > Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/ > . > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > >
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