Skip to main content

GreenCorps salt sleuths solve over-salting “mysteries” in Minneapolis

Winter boots on a sidewalk covered with salt.
Smart Salting Sleuths Evan Anderson (left) and Ella Graham (right) are on the case!

Minnesota GreenCorps members Evan Anderson (aka Mel. T) and Ella Graham (aka Ice E. Rhodes) are hitting the sidewalks in Minneapolis to spot oversalting before it becomes an even bigger problem. Chloride-containing salt is a pollutant that harms the environment and impacts water quality in our soil, lakes, rivers, and streams. Just a teaspoon of salt can permanently pollute five gallons of water. Each year we scatter an estimated 365,000 tons of salt in the metro area. About 78% of that salt ends up in our water. To do their part in protecting water quality, the sleuths are engaging with Minneapolis residents on salt best practices.

When not out sleuthing, Anderson supports other City of Minneapolis salt reduction initiatives, educates community members through the Adopt-a-Drain program, shares information about the city’s salt mini-course, and synthesizes smart-salting course feedback from snowplow operators to improve future training. Graham, serving with Vibrant & Safe Downtown, conducts outreach to neighborhood organizations in downtown Minneapolis, sharing the compelling story of how excessive salinity in soils is harmful for trees and landscaping. As part of this outreach, Graham helped create a Winter Greening website, a hub for salt-reduction resources.

14756: Pull quote GreenCorps
Connecting the dots between soil salinity data and actual behavior change with de-icing salt has been a challenging and rewarding experience. The best part is connecting with community members to raise awareness about what they can do to address tree health and water quality issues.”
— Minnesota GreenCorps member Ella Graham

Share this