Winter Salt Awareness Week

Join a 30-minute livestream each day at 12:30 p.m. (CDT) the week of January 22-26. Experts will be diving into the true cost of salt on our drinking water, freshwater ecosystems, and how you can be a freshwater advocate in your community. (Recordings will be posted on YouTube.)

• Jan. 22: Salt Pollution Trends in our Lakes and Rivers (Hilary Dugan, University of Wisconsin - Madison)
  Long-term data, collected across the country, show that lakes and rivers are getting saltier. How fresh is our freshwater? What are the sources driving these changes? What can be done?
• Jan. 23: Salt: An Environmental Justice Contaminant (Sawyer Bailey, Adirondack Action)
  Winter salt pollution is often discussed as a predominantly ecological issue, but salty drinking water has real impacts on human health. The unequal consequences of those impacts have environmental justice implications that must be understood.
• Jan. 24: Ecological Consequences of Salting our Freshwater (Bill Hintz, University of Toledo)
  Road salts are changing the ecology of our freshwater. What are the direct and indirect impacts of salt? Are current standards biologically protective? 
• Jan. 25: From Pathways to Highways: Tribal Perspectives (Bill Quackenbush, Ho-Chunk Nation; Jeremy Weso, Menominee Nation)
  Ancient travel routes between tribal communities were first transformed into pioneer trails. Fast forward to the roadways we use today. Bill will discuss how the continued use of road salt has affected areas of tribal interest. Jeremy will profile the financial and technical challenges of trying to reduce salt usage as the Menominee County Highway Commissioner.
• Jan. 26: Winter Ops that Reduce Salt Use (Laura Fay, Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University)
  Across the country, agencies are keeping roads safe and passable while reducing the amount of salt coming out of the back of their trucks. Learn about these proven winter maintenance practices and embrace the future of winter maintenance.

Sponsored by WI Salt Wise Partnership, a coalition of organizations working together to reduce salt pollution in our lakes, streams and drinking water.