Elevated salt levels in freshwater systems threaten quality of life, the health of aquatic systems and our economy. One way salt commonly enters waterways is through winter road salt. To reduce salt use, and in turn minimize chloride pollution, the District began a grant pilot program geared for road salt reduction and innovations in chloride use in 2014-2015. 2024 marks the tenth year of Road Salt Reduction Grants, a valuable program that helps applicants with access to equipment, provides opportunity for proof of concept, offers skills development and encourages innovation with low risk.
“Going out on a ledge with something new is scary in any industry, especially when your reputation with customers is at stake and public safety is on the line,” says Catherine Harris, pollution prevention specialist. “What may have started as a low-risk pilot for some of our grant winners has grown into changes in business practices for the betterment of our fresh waters.”
To date, the District has awarded around $286,000 in funding through 31 grants to organizations across Dane County through the program.
Chloride reduction grant success stories
Barnes, Inc.
Barnes is a landscaping and snow removal company that provides services to more than 150 commercial buildings and 300 residential customers; they are one of the largest providers of snow removal in Dane County.
In 2017 and 2018, Barnes received consecutive grant awards to purchase brooms for their Toolcat utility machines to help clear light snow on pavement. In the first winter alone, Barnes observed about 125 tons of salt reduction. For the 2020-2021 season, the District funded a third grant to upgrade the Toolcat fleet with drop spreader attachments. This greater application control yielded a reduction in salt use of 10-15%.
As part of their program changes, Barnes also implemented employee training, QA/QC integrations and program reporting. In this case study video, the company cites education as a top factor in reducing salt use.
“The real quantum leap is just telling your guys and then reinforcing behind them [to] lighten up on the salt usage,” said Andrew Fritsch Barnes’ director of operations. “It made a huge difference – shocking would be a good word to use.”
Success: The company’s use of broom technologies alone saves about 3 tons of salt per snow event, per route on sidewalks.
The Bruce Company
The Bruce Company is one of the largest providers of snow management services for commercial, industrial and multifamily sites across Dane County. In response to customer demand for reduction in salt use, the company began trialing liquid and anti-icing applications for ice and snow management through equipment funded by a Road Salt Reduction Grant.
One of the trials was to implement brine use at former CUNA Mutual Group campus (now TruStage), which was managed by C&W Services at the time. Their goal was to reduce salt by 15-20% in the first snow season, but they exceeded their goals significantly and have now become ambassadors for smart salting practices. By 2020-2021, the company received additional grant support for new trials for a liquid-only test at their Middleton headquarters and storefront. They also introduced a new level of service for customers where no granular product is used for snowfalls under 1 inch.
In this case study video, operations manager Jeremy Johnson said The Bruce Company is excited about salt reduction because, “it’s lower input costs for us, we can stay ahead of the storm a little bit better [and] the brine is going to hold up.” He continued, “there’s something to be said for being an industry leader and doing those things that are going to be good for the environment.”
Success: By implementing new tools, calibration and experimentation, the company cut salt use by one-third, without reducing pavement safety.
Village of Shorewood Hills
The Village of Shorewood Hills Board of Trustees adopted a winter Salt Use Policy and a 2020-2025 Sustainability Plan to help conserve and protect area resources.
During the development of the Salt Use Policy, the District first awarded grant funding to the Village for a 2015-2016 trial pre-wetting system. Pre-wetting coats salt with liquid chemical prior to spread to create a brine solution that better clings to pavement and works faster at lower temperatures with less waste. By 2017-2018, the Village’s pre-wetting program showed success and the District helped fund upgrades to the remainder of their fleet.
Pre-wetting is now accepted as an industry standard that reduces salt by about one-third. You can watch Village staff talk about pre-wetting and reducing road salt in this case study video.
Success: The Village observed more than a 30% salt reduction using pre-wetting techniques.
For more information on winter salt reduction strategies and professional training opportunities, visit Wisconsin Salt Wise. Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District is a founding member of the partnership, which is a coalition of organizations working to reduce salt pollution. For more information on grant funding for salt reduction initiatives, visit our Chloride Reduction Grants page.
