NYSDEC Campaign to Keep New Yorkers Safe and Waters Protected

OSWEGO COUNTY – New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton encourages New Yorkers to reduce the overuse of rock salt, when possible, to help reduce the pollution of waterways and drinking water supplies as part of its campaign, “Don’t Be Salty, New York.”

Although applying rock salt on roadways, parking lots, and sidewalks helps ensure the safety of those traveling by vehicle or foot, overuse of salt can be costly for consumers, degrade infrastructure, and contaminate run-off that enters streams and other bodies of water, impacting drinking water.

“It only takes one teaspoon of salt to pollute five gallons of water,”?said Commissioner Lefton.?“We’re asking all New Yorkers to take common-sense precautions before using too much rock salt on their sidewalks, driveways, and other places around their homes and businesses to help prevent unknowingly harming our environment. ‘Don’t Be Salty’ and help save your money, remain safe, and protect our water bodies.”

To help protect water quality while maintaining public safety, NYSDEC launched the “Don’t Be Salty, New York” public awareness campaign to help educate property owners, managers, communities, and snow and ice removal professionals about the impacts of rock salt and the various strategies that can be implemented to reduce salt use.

Consistent with a recommendation in the 2023 Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force report, NYSDEC conducted a public survey in 2024 to better understand perceptions surrounding rock salt usage and make appropriate recommendations for reduction strategies to be applied throughout New York. Working with ADK Action’s “Clean Water, Safe Roads” campaign, NYSDEC developed the State’s multi-media campaign to expand beyond Adirondack communities and reach all New Yorkers.

In addition to increasing public awareness, NYSDEC coordinates with colleagues at the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) to ensure New York’s salt reduction priorities are incorporated and considered within agency programs. State agencies collaborate to align the work of programs and coordinate outreach and mitigation efforts.

In August 2025, NYSDOT announced a statewide expansion of its road salt management pilot program for the 2025-26 snow and ice season. (see the news release here) NYSDOT has been a national leader in the effort to reduce the use of salt while still maintaining a safe and reliable transportation system. These efforts include, but are not limited to, enhanced training for snowplow operators, direct liquid applications in place of road salt, continuous evaluation of innovative equipment, and utilization of best management practices for reducing road salt. As a result, the statewide average application rate for granular salt was reduced to 172 pounds per lane-mile during the 2024-25 snow and ice season, down from the seven-year statewide average application rate of 194 pounds per-lane-mile.

New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, “Our crews are among the finest snow fighting forces in the nation and part of what makes them so good is the commitment to not only maintain public safety but also to be good stewards of the environment. For more than a decade, we have been working to minimize road salt use as much as possible and the results speak for themselves. Now, it’s time to expand the battle. We encourage everyone to implement judicious salt management practices that minimize salt use while still maintaining safety. A less salty winter will mean a greener, healthier future for us all.”

NYSDEC encourages all New Yorkers to use these “Don’t Be Salty, New York” best practices to save money, reduce rock salt pollution, and stay safe:

• Use Rock Salt Sparingly
  • Shovel first, if possible, to clear snow and ice before applying rock salt. The less snow and ice there is to melt, the less rock salt is needed.
  • Apply rock salt strategically. A 12-ounce cup full of rock salt is enough to treat 250 square feet, a 20-foot single car driveway, or approximately 10 standard sidewalk squares.
  • Apply rock salt only where it is needed most, such as walkways, driveways and steps.
  • Use a spreader to evenly distribute salt. Avoid piling it on in one area as this can lead to more salt run-off.
• Monitor Weather Conditions
  • Rock salt loses effectiveness below 15 F. Sand can be used for traction on ice during a cold snap (and can be swept up in the spring for re-using), or switch to a de-icer made for colder temperatures.
  • If a snow or ice storm is predicted, consider pre-treating surfaces with rock salt to prevent ice from forming.
• Consider Using Alternative Products
  • Consider making your own brine solution at home by combining 3.5 cups of rock salt per gallon of hot tap water and stirring until all salt is dissolved. Let any gravel settle to the bottom. Pour the brine into a regular garden sprayer and spray in a zig-zag pattern over the desired area. Save any extra brine to use later.
  • Use products that meet the NYS’s EO 22 GreenNY specifications listed on state’s Office of General Services website here.

There are many impacts of rock salt overuse, such as:

• Rock salt can run off into surface waters through snowmelt and stormwater or leach into groundwater.
• Excessive rock salt in surface water can kill or cause stress to fish and other aquatic organisms.
• Rock salt washed off surfaces accumulates in soils, which can kill vegetation or deplete plants of nutrients. Eventually, non-native salt-tolerant vegetation could move in and disrupt ecosystems.
• Salty roads attract animals like deer and moose (who love licking up the salt), increasing the probability of accidents and roadkill.
• The presence of sodium in drinking water is problematic for individuals with low-salt or limited-salt dietary restrictions. People on a sodium-restricted diet can experience health risks when exposed to elevated levels of sodium in their drinking water.
• Rock salt has corrosive properties that can eat away at metals – including lead, copper, iron and steel – from pipes and other infrastructure.
• These corrosive effects also impact cars, trucks, bridges and roads resulting in approximately $5 billion dollars in annual repairs in the U.S. alone, according to the United State Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) website here.
• Households using private wells and small unregulated water systems are at the greatest risk of negative impacts from corrosion. Regulated public water systems sample for lead and copper and reduce corrosion if required.

In support of the “Don’t Be Salty” campaign, NYSDEC developed a fact sheet for municipalities (see .pdf document here) that includes information about Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) funding. NYSDEC also developed a YouTube video (see here) depicting the importance of salt reduction and released a podcast episode called, “Don’t Be Salty, New York,” available on the NYSDEC’s website here. The October/November issue of NYSDEC’s “Conservationist” magazine also provides a good overview of the salt overuse problem and solutions. For additional information and resources, NYSDEC’s rock salt reduction web page here.

Through Governor Kathy Hochul’s historic investments in water quality improvements, New York State is providing significant resources for communities across the state to reduce road salt impacts and implement recommendations for road salt use reduction. In 2024, NYSDEC introduced a competitive, statewide reimbursement grant program that supports implementation projects that directly improve water quality or habitat, promote flood risk reduction, restoration, enhanced flood and climate resiliency, or protect a drinking water source. NYSDEC expects to announce additional funding awards for salt storage and road salt reduction practices under the 2025 round of WQIP.

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