Protecting the Environment while Maintaining Road Safety in Winter

The first snowflakes announce the inevitable return of winter. They are also a reminder to adjust our winter driving habits, slow down on the roads and consider installing winter tires.

With the onset of winter, municipalities and road authorities need to adopt winter maintenance measures to ensure safe road conditions. The use of road salts remains one of the preferred ways to de-ice roads and highways with close to 5 million tonnes of road salts used each winter in Canada. A substantial amount of this salt is swept away by wind and vehicular traffic, ending up in surrounding waterways and vegetation.

A scientific evaluation of the impacts of road salts on the environment concluded that they can cause damage to aquatic ecosystems, vegetation, as well as affect fauna, including fish, birds and some mammals. To mitigate this situation, a Code of Practice for the Environmental Management of Road Salts is now in place to reduce the harmful effects of road salts on the environment while keeping roads safe. The Code of Practice was developped by Environment Canada, with the help of a working group composed of transport specialists, industry representatives, the municipal sector, transport agencies, and environmental organizations.

Improved Winter Maintenance Practices

Have you noticed salt trucks out on the roads before the snow flies? This means your municipality is using anti-icing measures. Applying salt before snow starts to fall prevents it from bonding to the surface of the road, which is what creates difficult driving conditions. In general, pre-wetted salt or brine is used because it is less likely to bounce off the road during a preventative application on dry road conditions. Also, this method covers a larger surface area than granulated salt, which is more effective in preventing greater amounts of snow from bonding to the road.

Numerous municipalities have successfully adopted these measures. The municipality of Otterburn Park on Montreal's south shore in Quebec successfully reduced road salt use by 73 per cent over a five-year period despite an additional 20 kilometres of roads to maintain over the same period. Many efficient management practices were adopted, including pre-wetting and anti-icing techniques, employee training on best practices and salt chemistry, as well as the identification of priority areas.

The city of Kamloops in British Columbia has also adopted anti-icing and pre-wetting techniques. The city received financial support from the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia to complete a study on the effectiveness of liquid anti-icing. The results showed that the city realized savings of close to $95 000 in salt use and operation costs for the season. The city also experienced a seven per cent reduction in the number of snow and ice-related accidents.

The Code of Practice for the Environmental Management of Road Salts

The Code of Practice published by Environment Canada recommends that municipalities and road authorities examine their current road salts management practices and compare them to the practices recommended by transportation specialists, particularly the Best Practices Road Salt Management prepared by the Transportation Association of Canada.

These practices aim to optimize winter maintenance practices in order to ensure road safety and reduce the negative impacts on the environment. Following an initial assessment, municipalities and road authorities prepare a salt management plan describing the measures and best management practices that they will put in place to improve their winter maintenance operations.

The Code of Practice requires that these organizations notify Environment Canada of their intent to prepare a salt management plan and to report annually on the progress toward achieving their objectives. This will make it possible to track progress in road salt management and environmental impacts on a national scale. To find out if your municipality uses these improved road maintenance practices, consult the list of municipalities on the Road Salts Web site or contact your municipal authority.

Road Weather Information Network

Road weather condition forecasts are a key element in the proactive management of road salts. To obtain the data needed to make these forecasts, many provinces have installed road weather stations across their territory. Partnerships between the federal and provincial governments have been created to promote a more harmonious development and efficient use of resources.