Skip to Content

Take Action to Reduce Road Salt Pollution

We All Have a Role to Play

The Salt Watch program is about more than raising awareness and documenting road salt pollution. It is about advocating for solutions that will reduce chloride pollution and mitigate its effects. All of us have a role to play – including you!

On this page, you’ll find inspiration and resources to help you advocate for clean water that is free from unsafe levels of chloride.

Action Alerts

Action Alerts make it easy to speak out, whether it’s to your members of Congress or local agencies, to make meaningful change. Click on the Action Alerts below to learn more and take action.

Spread the Word

The first step toward combating a pollution problem is raising awareness. Use these resources to get the word out about chloride pollution and the Salt Watch program.

Spread the Word

The first step toward combating a pollution problem is raising awareness. Use these resources to get the word out about chloride pollution and the Salt Watch program.

Contact Local Officials

Contact Your Local Government

Call your city or county Department of Environmental Protection to report high chloride levels or large salt piles (either piles spilled on the road or uncovered stockpiles). Call your Department of Transportation to ask them to apply less salt on the roads.

Call Your Local Environmental Agency

Contact your Department of Natural Resources or Department of Environmental Quality to report consistently high chloride levels in surface water (rivers, lakes, streams).

Report Oversalting

See an uncovered salt pile, salt spill, or oversalting event? Report it! You can report illegal spills, dumping, and local emergencies related to the storm drain system to your local department of environmental protection, stormwater division, or county conservation office. Make sure to document the date, time, and where the incident occurred.

Share Your Advocacy Actions

Let us know how you’ve taken your water quality monitoring to the next level.

“Advocacy” can mean lots of things – sharing your water quality data with community members, writing a letter to the editor, contacting local leaders, handing out flyers, cleaning up trash in your stream, and so much more. If you’ve taken any actions, big or small, to try to improve water quality in your community, we want to hear about it!

Looking for more guidance?

The Save Our Streams Advocacy Guide shows you how to take action at the local, state or federal level to protect the waterways you monitor. You’ll find valuable tips and advice on how to organize your community, influence policymakers and create positive change for your streams.

Looking for more guidance?

The Save Our Streams Advocacy Guide shows you how to take action at the local, state or federal level to protect the waterways you monitor. You’ll find valuable tips and advice on how to organize your community, influence policymakers and create positive change for your streams.

Back to top