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Minnesota Stormwater Manual

Smart Salting (S2) training information
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Did you ever think about what happens to the tons of salt that goes on our roads, parking lots, and sidewalks each winter? Most of it ends up in our lakes, streams, wetlands, and groundwater. As a result, clean water in Minnesota is in jeopardy.

The MPCA’s Smart Salting trainings provide suggestions to improve operator effectiveness and for reducing chloride pollution while keeping the roads, parking lots, and sidewalks safe. Many organizations that have participated in the Smart Salting training have been able to reduce their salt use by 30-70%!

Learn how you and your organization can become Smart Salting certified.

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.

Updated training schedule for Level 1 and 2 attached

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

Through education and outreach, applicators of road salt can learn best practices and significantly reduce their use while maintaining road safety. There are two types of Smart Salting Level 1 training classes. The first is for high/low speed snowplow drivers (roads class), and the second is for anyone maintaining private/public walkways and/or parking lots and service roads (parking lot/sidewalk class).

Who should participate?

  • State, city and county road maintenance staff
  • Contractors
  • Staff maintaining private/public walkways and/or parking lots
  • Property managers writing contracts, distributors of anti-icing/de-icing products
  • Other snowplow drivers—those who make it happen

Why Is it important? This class will help:

  • Save you money
  • Keep our parking lots and sidewalks safe
  • Protect our water
  • Get you certified

Level 1 - Training schedule

The following training schedule is changed periodically as training events are completed/added.

Because of the expanded training schedule, we no longer maintain the schedule in the stormwater manual. The training calendar can be accessed here.

  • File:Winter Parking Lot and Sidewalk Maintenance.pdf (October 2010) - 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

Level 2 - Training schedule

The following training schedule is changed periodically as training events are completed/added.

Because of the expanded training schedule, we no longer maintain the schedule in the stormwater manual. The training calendar can be accessed here.

Smart Salting Level 2 Voluntary Certification

Level 2 certification is an organizational certification for both private and public entities. An organization may provide one assessment submittal for the whole organization or multiple submittals, as long as each 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:

  • Login to the Winter Maintenance Assessment tool.
  • Complete the BMP and Salt Saving assessment for the most recent fully completed winter maintenance season.
    • For example, a report completed on January 1, 2018, will be based on the 2016/2017 winter maintenance season.
  • On the User Home Page of the WMAt complete the following steps:

1.Click on the ‘Select Reports’ button on the bottom right-hand side of the screen 2.Choose the appropriate completed reports from the Assessment for your organization

  • Reports should include all of the surface type(s) in which you are involved, not a separate report for each surface type
  • BMP Reports: Response Summary (Current)
  • BMP Reports: Comparison of Responses Between Assessment Periods (Current and Future)
  • Salt Savings Reports: Summary Report (Current and Future)

3.Click the ‘Submit’ after the proper reports have been selected. 4.After the reports have been submitted, if they are complete the WMAt will generate a certificate for your organization 5.Return to the User Home Page of the WMAt and select ‘Print Certificate’ 6.The Certification Status section of the User Home Page will notify you when your Level 2 certification expires

  • Smart Salting Level 2 certification is valid for 2 years
  • Smart Salting Level 1 Voluntary certification is not required to obtain Level 2 certification, however it is recommended

For questions please contact:

  • Brooke Asleson, 651-757-2205
  • Rachel Olmanson, 651-757-2473


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. You do not need to attend a Level 2 training to become Level 2 certified.

What will MPCA do for you?

  • Post your organizations name as being Level 2 certified on the MPCA website
  • 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.

Model Snow and Ice Policies

Example Snow and Ice Policies


Additional Winter Maintenance Resources

Related pages

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