The state of Ohio is taking measures to help local communities reduce environmental damage caused by the tons of road salt used to de-ice roads every winter.

Funding is now available to help local communities improve road salt storage and distribution practices in a manner that reduces salt pollution in Ohio's waterways, according to the Ohio EPA and Governor Mike DeWine’s office.

The H2Ohio Chloride Reduction Grant Program will award a total of $1 million in funding to local municipalities for equipment upgrades designed will prevent the over-application of salt on Ohio roads.

Among the items that qualify for funding are snowplow blades designed to reduce salt usage, salt spreader control systems, brine mixers, and upgrades to salt storage facilities to prevent groundwater contamination.

According to the Ohio EPA, heavy salt runoff is toxic to aquatic life and can also pollute drinking water sources, leading to higher treatment costs and infrastructure corrosion.

According to the U.S. EPA, although rock salt is cheap, its low cost does not include the potential damage to property, infrastructure, or the environment.

Rock salt can have corrosive effects in large quantities that affect cars, trucks, bridges, and roads resulting in approximately 5 billion dollars in annual repairs in the U.S. alone.

In addition, road salt can also infiltrate nearby surface and ground waters and can contaminate drinking water reservoirs and wells. High sodium levels in drinking water affect people with high blood pressure, and high chloride levels in surface waters are toxic to some fish, bugs, and amphibians.

Excess road salt accumulates on roadside areas killing roadside plants and harming wildlife that eat the salt crystals. Salty roads also attract animals like deer who love licking up the salt, increasing the probability of accidents and roadkill.

Since the winter of 2018-2019, ODOT's salt usage per lane mile has dropped from 22.5 tons to 9.37 tons, a decrease of 240 percent.

To further reduce salt runoff in Ohio, the Ohio Department of Transportation will support the Ohio EPA in a public education campaign for local governments on the problem of the overapplication of salt. The campaign will encourage those using road deicer salts to follow best management practices, apply less salt, and use the best available technologies for applying salt.

ODOT maintains 42,667 lane miles of state and U.S. routes outside municipalities and all interstates, except the Ohio Turnpike, and primarily applies a salt brine solution to roads during cold weather months.  The solution, made up of 23 percent salt and 77 percent tap water, allows salt to be applied more precisely and efficiently compared to traditional rock salt, which tends to scatter or get plowed off to the side of the roadway.