This week is Winter Salt Awareness Week, the perfect time to take a close look at how much salt you use on your driveway and sidewalk.
While using salt to help clear ice from our walkways and driveways has been standard practice for some time, it does have an effect on lakes, streams and drinking water.
When a large amount of salt is introduced into these bodies of water, it ends up harming species diversity, and contaminates the water the comes out of the tap in our homes.
The City of Manitowoc and dozens of Wisconsin municipalities are striving to improve winter maintenance programs to reduce the amount of salt entering our environment.
For instance, instead of using rock salt on the roads, Manitowoc plow drivers have been using a salt brine and have even tried using beat juice.
To continue making progress by educating residents and the public about salt use, the City of Manitowoc is giving away free Salt Wise cups.
The cups contain the right amount of salt that should be used to treat about 10 Squares of sidewalk for most conditions.
Cups can be picked up at City Hall, and more information can be found at WISaltWise.com.
