On January 25, 2007, over 70 people gathered for UDPREP's Brown Bag Briefing on road salt at the College of Lake County Southlake Educational Center in Vernon Hills, IL.

The first speaker was Shaina Keseley, Water Quality Specialist for the Lake Co. Health Department, Lakes Management Unit. The Unit monitors water quality in lakes throughout the county and provides local authorities with management recommendations. Ms. Keseley presented the Unit's findings on water quality trends related to road salt. She also gave examples of plant damage, salt tolerance levels of aquatic life, and road salt alternatives.

Click here to download Ms. Keseley's presentation.

Mark DeVries, Maintenance Superintendent for the McHenry Co. Division of Transportation talked about the county's cutting edge techniques to manage winter road conditions. Their effective, low-cost, liquid de-icing mixture won honors from the American Public Works Association and the National Association of Counties. (One of the special ingredients of this award-winning concoction is beet juice!) Mr. DeVries also talked about the importance of proper salt storage and described how McHenry County develops and applies liquid mixtures to winter roads.

Click here to download Mr. DeVries' presentation.

Other Articles

Click here to download an interesting article entitled Snow, Road Salt and the Chesapeake Bay by Tom Schueler of the Center for Watershed Protection.