Organizations in Minnesota have been working to reduce road salt pollution across the state for many years. Salt Watch Partners, volunteers, and Izaak Walton League of America Chapters have been doing regular Salt Watch monitoring and outreach at local and state events like Ice Harvest Celebrations and the Minnesota State Fair! Many Salt Watch Partners are located around the Twin Cities Metropolitan Region and eastern parts of the state. Salt Watch is working to expand outreach and monitoring throughout the state.
Thanks to a grant from the Change Happens Foundation, Salt Watch staff has been able to expand outreach, monitoring, and engagement in Minnesota
Salt Watch Monitoring
Want to learn more about road salt pollution in your local waterways? Check out the Salt Watch Map to see where monitoring is taking place. If you see data gaps in your area, we would love your help in filling them! To get started, go to saltwatch.org to request a Salt Watch kit.
State Resources:
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) hosts yearly Smart Salting training for road salt applicators, community leaders, property managers, business owners, and environmental professionals. MPCA also has developed a Smart Salting Tool, which can be used to assist public and private winter maintenance organizations in determining where opportunities exist to improve practices, make reductions in salt use, and track progress of best management practices.
Low Salt No Salt is an initiative developed in 2022 by the Hennepin County Chloride Initiative (HCCI) to provide a toolbox that local government staff may use during conversations with residents, businesses, and property managers about best practices related to winter maintenance.
Salt Watch Partners
Salt Watch partner organizations are spreading the word, reporting data, and advocating for reduced use of road salt. Meet our official partners in Minnesota.
Your kit will include a bottle containing 25 nitrate test strips which you can use to test your water source(s) throughout the year. You’ll also receive postcards explaining how to use your nitrate test strips and how to share your Nitrate Watch results on the Clean Water Hub.
Your kit will include four test strips so you can test your waterway throughout the season. You’ll also receive a chart to help you interpret your results and a postcard with instructions for completing a Salt Watch test and reporting your findings.