http://edmontonjournal.com/news/crime/riverkeeper-group-concerned-about-road-salt-pilot-projects-impact-on-north-saskatchewan-river

Spraying major roads with a salt mixture ahead of winter storms may improve commutes and reduce collisions, but it could be bad news for the North Saskatchewan River.

Hans Asfeldt, manager of water literacy with North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper, said the group will be keeping close tabs on the city’s calcium chloride pilot project.

“Anything that goes on the road ultimately does end up in the river, ” he said. “There is a concern around the use of salts or liquid brine in general, and it’s a concern that’s been well documented across Canada.” 

The city began the pilot project this winter. The aim is to improve how it manages snow and ice on city streets, especially on difficult to plow corridors such as Yellowhead Trail. Around 40 per cent of the city’s roads — around 3,000 kilometres — could be sprayed with a calcium chloride solution 24 to 36 hours before a snowfall. 

The mixture is less corrosive than traditional road salt and includes a corrosion inhibitor to try to minimize any damage to cars and infrastructure, officials said.

Asfeldt said some salt has traditionally been used for roadway management in Edmonton.

But the mixture can be toxic for aquatic life.

“We want to see clearer numbers around those plans, and we’d like to see them also (compared) against what’s been done in the past,” he said. “Although we have used some liquid salt brine in the past, it’s not nearly on this scale.

“In order to understand the environmental impact, we A.) need to know what’s been done in the past, how much salt has gone on the roads, and how much of it foreseeably ends up in the river, and B.) how much are we planning to use in the future?”

A spokesperson for the city said Friday that river monitoring is being done, but could not provide more information because staff were away on holiday.  

The test zones include several arterial and collector routes and around 170 bus stops, plus downtown bike lanes, officials said earlier. Also included are several park areas so officials can determine the impact on water runoff into the North Saskatchewan River, as well as on vegetation.

Asfeldt noted that councillors wanted to know more about the spray’s environmental impact when the report on the plan was first presented. 

He said city administration has done a cost-benefit analysis on the economics but “almost nothing” in terms of the environmental impacts.

“Really we want to see the city do their due diligence, crunch the numbers and assess the (environmental) impacts extensively, in a way that matches the rigour that was applied to the economic cost benefit analysis,” Asfeldt said.  

jwakefield@postmedia.com