Municipality Insurance: The Hazards of Road Salting 

Salting icy winter roads has a long history in the U.S. In the winter of 1941, New Hampshire became the first state to adopt a policy of using salt to de-ice its highways instead of relying on laying abrasive materials such as sand along the roads to improve traction. By 1970, an average of 10 million tons of salt was being applied annually to roadways across the nation and today it is estimated that more than 22 million tons of salt are used each year in the U.S. These numbers have started to draw attention over the years from concerned researchers and municipal officials.

While salting highways and roadways has been instrumental in maintaining accessibility and transit systems through the winter months, many scientific studies have indicated that these methods have had dramatic implications on the environment. Data from long-term studies, have indicated that not only are local flora and fauna being affected in many areas, there has been monumental changes in local freshwater and groundwater composition. The Mohawk River Study, which took place between 1952 and 1998 in Upstate New York, found that concentrations of sodium and chloride increased by 130 and 243 percent respectively. Other studies have indicated similar changes to local waterways and groundwater tables.  In 2008, New Hampshire identified 19 local bodies of water that had been impaired by chloride, two years later that number increased to 40.

The trends indicate that chloride levels are rapidly becoming a major environmental and public safety concern in the North East and Midwest communities, which frequently experience harsh winters. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, an estimated 40 percent of the country’s urban streams have chloride levels that exceed safe guidelines for aquatic life, primarily due to the use of road salt.

American municipal leaders and law makers have been slow to respond to these mounting threats. Recently, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services held their first ever Salt Symposium hoping to educate workers who remove snow and ice from roads and parking lots on how they can best do their jobs, while reducing salt use, saving money and preserving the environment.

Some local transportation departments have begun pursuing strategies to reduce salt use, such as pre-storm salting in hopes of preventing snow and ice bind-up, as well as making post-storm cleanup easier overall allowing road crews to use less salt. Other municipalities have begun mixing creating concentrated saline solutions which allows the salt to spread more and blend into sand or gravel to improve traction for cars. Some municipalities are opting to adopting alternate de-icing compounds to decrease their reliance on road salts.

Environmental impact is a huge concern for American municipalities and lawmakers, especially as federal regulations tighten. Municipalities face a great deal of challenges when establishing new legislation, especially when the legislation results in conflicting policy goals. The balancing act can be tricky and even at the best of time public officials often face legal prosecution and hurdles simply because a critic does not support their policy stances.

The specialists at Professional Government Underwriters understand the challenges municipalities and public officials face. PGUI specializes in assembling Municipality Insurance programs that meets your specific risk exposures, requirements and concerns. Our Public Officials and Municipality insurance specialists can help ensure that you are properly protected in the event of any legal dispute or claims brought forth. Please Contact Us today for more information about our coverage offerings.