DE-ICING DALHOUSIE: ASSESSING CURRENT SALT MANAGEMNET PRACTICES AT DALHOUSIE

Abstract

The use of salt has been shown to have a number of adverse environmental implications. After an extensive five year study, conducted by Environment Canada, road salts containing inorganic chlorides, should be added to Schedule 1 of the list of toxic substances within the 1999 Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). There are a number of viable alternatives to common salt, which have been garnering increased interest. Our project therefore aimed to research the environmental effects of excessive salt use, analyze the practicality of alternative ice-removal practices that could be undertaken at Dalhousie, explore the feasibility of the current ice-removal practices employed on campus and suggest areas for improvement. The average volume of salt which was collected per square meter for each of parking lots, sidewalks, and entrances of buildings on Dalhousie’s Studley campus was found to represent the amount of salt applied excessively. Based on the journal research of alternative materials to common road salt (NaCl), it was concluded that calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) is the most environmentally friendly material but it is also the most costly. The most economic material is NaCl, however there are a number of adverse environmental effects on terrestrial wildlife, vegetation and aquatic ecosystems. Based on the results of the study we concluded that there are no economically viable de-icing alternatives to salt for Dalhousie University.