TCMA Chloride Management Plan - Prioritizing and Implementing Restoration and Protection - Citizens

Citizens

This group includes everyone living or working in the TCMA. Each person contributes to the attitudes and practices that have created a high and steadily growing volume of salt to be used each year. In order to reverse this situation each person must contribute to changing attitudes and practices that are more sustainable and require less salt. The list of actions that this group can take is extensive. Citizens form public policy, set the expectations that our maintenance crews must live up to, and use salt on their own property such as water softening and salting their sidewalks in the winter. Engaging the citizenry in the TCMA offers the best chance to get salt use under control.

There are many ways to reduce salt use while maintaining high safety standards. Below are a few simple steps that residents can take to help reduce the amount of chloride entering waters. More ideas are listed on the MPCA’s website.

Citizens can look for ways to reduce salt use. Every teaspoon of salt reduction prevents five gallons of water from being polluted. Small changes can have big results. Typically the biggest salt uses are sidewalk/driveway/steps (winter maintenance) salt and water softeners, with the outdoor use for winter maintenance being the largest use.