Smart Salting (S2) training information

MPCA Smart Salting (S2) training program

MPCA Smart Salting Level 1 Certification: Snow and ice control best practices

Audience: Contractors and staff maintaining private/public walkways and/or parking lots, property managers writing contracts, distributors of anti-icing/de-icing products, snowplow drivers— those who make it happen. Anyone else interested in reducing salt use. Purpose: Through education and outreach, applicators of road salt can learn best practices and significantly reduce their use while maintaining road safety.

Why is it important? This class will help: • Save you money. • Keep our parking lots and sidewalks safe. • Protect our water. • Get certified.

Level 1 - Training schedule

Because of the initial success of the pilot project, Fortin Consulting has received a 319 grant to conduct additional training sessions in Minnesota. The following training schedule is changed periodically as training events are completed/added.

• File:Winter Parking Lot and Sidewalk Maintenance.pdf - (October 2010) - for applicators attending training will be given a clip board containing critical information. The hope is that this clip board will be a useful tool for applicators to keep in there their vehicles during storm events.

MPCA Smart Salting Level 2 Training

Audience: Winter Maintenance Supervisors and Leadership

Purpose:

• Explore the WMAt with guided instruction
• Demonstrate how the Winter Maintenance Assessment tool (WMAt) can be used to assist with planning and prioritizing implementation of salt reducing BMPs.
• Show how the WMAt can help organizations show progress already made and additional opportunities for reducing salt use to improve water quality and potentially save money.
• Discuss how the WMAt can be used to gain support from the public, local decisions makers, and others to implement salt reducing BMPs.

Smart Salting Level 2 Voluntary Certification

This is an organizational* certification. This means a private or public entity. The organization can include one assessment submittal for the whole organization or multiple submittals for an organization as long as each submittal has a unique address. (i.e. the city of Medina, MNDOT’s Plymouth truck station, Ace Snow Removal west metro branch, or Johnson Lawn and Snow).

To become Smart Salting Level 2 certified an organization must:

1. Use the WMAt to complete the BMP and Salt Savings assessment s for the most recent fully completed winter maintenance season, for example, if you are filling it out report on Jan. 1, you will have to answer based on the previous season.
2. Submit the following items to MPCA:
   1. Application sheet for Smart Salting Level II Certification
   2. Summary of BMP Question Responses for Current Report
   3. BMP Question Responses: Summary Charts Report, and
   4. Salt Savings Summary 1 Report.

Reports should include all of the surface type(s) in which you are involved, not a separate report for each surface type.

1. Submit reports to:

• Email at andrew.ronchak@state.mn.us
• Mail to:
  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
  • Attn: Andy Ronchak
  • 520 Layfayette Road N
  • St. Paul, MN 55155-4194

It does not matter what the reports say, you can have poor practice, and you may have increased salt use. Becoming Smart Salting Level 2 Certified does not require you or people from your organization to be Level 1 certified, recommended not required. You do not need to attend a Level 2 training to become Level 2 certified.

What will MPCA do for you?

1. Post your organizations name as being Level 2 certified on the MPCA website
2. Send you a certification by email to be printed out or by mail

Please note: The organization certification period will be indefinite as long as the organization updates and resubmits the Best Management Practices and Salt Savings reports. We are hoping for a shift in positive practices and salt savings, depending on where you are in your operations this may or may not be possible. You may want to comment on your situation. If you have any salt saving numbers from a change in practice, please share to help make the tool the best it can be.

Level 2 Training schedule

Coming soon.

Additional Winter Maintenance Resources

Calibration

• Control Point Calibration
• Open Loop Calibration
• Calibrating Manual Sanders
• Calibration Data Record

Sample Snow Policies