February 8, 2018 | Plymouth Creek Center
14800 34th Avenue North, Plymouth MN 55447
Icy liquids, liquid deicers, and urban legends
Last year pickle juice and solar roads... this year myth busting at the annual Road Salt Symposium.
Wise use of road salt creates a win-win situation that protects the environment, reduces community expense, and ensures safe roads.This year, 300 participants heard about the latest innovations in road salt application and technology, and considered new challenges on the horizon. Check out these excellent presentations to find out what they learned:
The Tipping Point: The City of Madison's Salt Reduction Efforts, Paul Soglin, Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin
Salting our Lakes, Hilary Dugan Ph.D. Limnologist, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Winter Plowing and Deicing: Saving Money, Salt, and Labor by Distinguishing Best Practices From Urban Legends, Stephen Druschel, Ph.D., P.E., Minnesota State, Mankato
Salt Reduction Using Innovative Technology, William Schneider, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Ohio, Akron
Keeping the Weather on Your Side: Making Sense of Available Weather Data, Mike Adams, Meteorologist, Wisconsin DOT
Recent Advances in Understanding the Performance of Liquid Deicers, Scott Koefod, Ph.D., Cargill
Bitter Brine Reclaim for Winter Maintenance, Mike Gresch, Madison, Wisconsin
Interactive Session on Emerging Issues, Connie Fortin, Fortin Consulting and Leslie Yetka, Freshwater Society
MPCA Local Chloride Initiatives, Brooke Asleson and Rachel Olmanson, MPCA
Pigeonhole Live Question and Answer Sessions
2018 Environmental Leadership Award Recipients:
Brooke Asleson – Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
City of Plymouth, Minnesota: Craig Bechthold | Patrick Dehmer | John DesMarais | Steven Forness | Ryan Gallagher | Robert Hebzynski | Jeremy Jensen | Janine Kingsbury | Kraig Nowell | Brian Oswald | Dustin Palm | Mark Sauter | Michael Uecker | Torrey Keith | Derek Asche | Michael Thompson | Ben Scharenbroich
City of River Falls, Wisconsin: Mike Stifter | Crystal Raleigh | Terry Kusilek | Pat Yunker | Irv Peskar | Nate Croes | Charles Larson | Troy Connolly | Joe Killian | Scott Jensen | Jon Kusilek | Ray Curtis | Bob Schwalen | David Holodnack | Tom Schwalen | Ken Thill | Tom Dalton | Zach Regnier | Reid Wronski
Mike Gresch – Steve Brown Apartments
Lloyd Law – Minnesota Department of Transportation
Read more about this year's winners.
See past winners of Environmental Leadership Awards.
Model Snow and
Ice Policy
A Model Snow and Ice Management Policy Advisory Committee was convened in the summer of 2016 in response to an extraordinary interest in risk management expressed by attendees of the February 2016 Road Salt Symposium.
The framework offers a tool for cities and counties to prepare clear and complete snow and ice management policies and to help them limit the potential liability risk from these activities. Snow and ice management requires balancing public interests including public safety, equipment and material cost, environmental impact, and other concerns. The law governing public operations largely protects cities and counties from liability, in recognition of the fact that these local units must exercise judgment based on expertise, experience, and the circumstances of the occasion. The law says, however, that to merit this protection, a city or county must be able to show that competing public concerns are in play, that these concerns have been weighed, and that judgment was used in making both policy and operational decisions. The Model Policy is a tool for cities and counties to establish this foundation for their snow and ice management policies and practices.
Cities, counties, and other users of this Model Policy are encouraged to adapt and modify the Policy as appropriate to local circumstances with guidance from their respective attorneys.
Thanks to the following organizations that supported development of this policy:
