Save the Date! The DMV Winter Salt Week Open House is Coming Up
On Saturday, January 31, the Izaak Walton League of America is excited to host a program focused on road salt pollution, monitoring, and solutions.
While salt keeps our roads safe during icy weather, using more than needed comes at an expensive price to our waterways, infrastructure and drinking water. Winter salt runs off the roads and becomes a permanent pollutant in our waterways. Only one teaspoon of road salt permanently pollutes five gallons of water, and road salt is not filtered out of our public drinking water. Data compiled by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin shows a 10-fold increase in chloride (a chemical released from the breakdown of winter salt) in the Potomac River at Great Falls over the past 80 years. Twenty-eight streams in Maryland are considered impaired due to chloride.
The event:
What: DMV Winter Salt Week Open House
Hosts: Izaak Walton League of America and partners
Who’s invited: Media, government officials, NGOs and members of the public
Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026
Time: 10am – 1pm EST
Where: Izaak Walton League of America Headquarters, 707 Conservation Lane Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Attendees can learn how to monitor water quality with Salt Watch after a short walk to our local stream, Muddy Branch. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own water samples from home (either their tap water or water from a local stream, pond, or lake) in a clean sealed plastic or glass jar to test as well. There will also be an opportunity to see a smart salting demonstration led by Jason Swope from the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council.
Speakers will include Watershed Restoration Planning Division Chief of Maryland Department of the Environment Greg Sandi, Montgomery County Water Restoration Division Chief Amy Stevens, General Manager/CEO of WSSC Water Kishia Powell, and other conservation leaders. Media, government officials, NGOs and members of the public are invited to this event.
Please register so that we can notify you in case of cancellation due to inclement weather.
This free event is brought to you by the Izaak Walton League of America, Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin.
Winter Salt Week
This in-person event is part of a larger event, Winter Salt Week, which runs from January 26-30. The Week is a collaboration of government and NGOs across the U.S. and Canada that aims to raise awareness about salt pollution and reduction solutions. We believe an informed public can support the adoption of best practices in snow and ice control and advocate for the protection of freshwater resources.
Throughout the week, there will be livestreams from experts across the country and many entities will participate in water monitoring and educational events. To learn more about Winter Salt Week and to register for livestreams, please visit www.wintersaltweek.org.
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.