PA Road Salt Action Working Group
This page reflects the early work of LLWS in convening partners and building momentum for statewide road‑salt reduction efforts. The initiative has since grown into the Pennsylvania Road Salt Action (PARSA) Working Group, which now maintains an expanded website with updated tools and opportunities:
https://www.paroadsaltaction.org/
History of PARSA
LLWS hosted a statewide meeting in January 2025 in partnership with POWR (pawatersheds.org). From that gathering, the PARSA Working Group was formed to focus on reducing excess winter road‑salt use and educating the public about chloride pollution. The group now meets regularly and collaborates on a wide range of initiatives. It is active, growing, and building momentum across the state.
Because Pennsylvania has few regulations to curb excess salting—and chloride levels continue to rise in many waterways—progress will depend on volunteers speaking out and thousands of community conversations. Will you join this effort? Contact us to get involved locally or statewide. Volunteers in action are what make this work possible.
PARSA provides a wide range of resources for anyone interested in working collaboratively. Please visit https://www.paroadsaltaction.org/ to learn more.
Dive Deep into Winter Salting Issues
Click below for a detailed summary of Issues related to road salt pollution. Summary covers 16 topics, each explained in half to a full page, and includes sources for further reading. Topics range from Impacts on the Environment and Infrastructure, to a detailed rundown of Best Management Practices for Winter Maintenance Teams. Additionally, the booklet features a FAQ section and a summary of our Salt Snapshot Results.
BMP clip taken from
Front Ecol Environ 2022; 20(1): 22-30, doi:10.1002/fee.2433
What Can You Do?
First of all, be aware of the quantity of salt that you apply to your driveway and sidewalks in wintertime. You can reduce the amount you need by shoveling regularly. When you apply the salt, use about 12 ounces for a 20-foot driveway, or 10 sidewalk paving squares. Sweep up any leftover salt.
Volunteer to help combat over salting; use “contact us” button. More voices on salt are needed.
Speak up when you notice excessive salt use in your community (work, school, places of worship, shopping areas). Ask to speak to Manager or Facility Maintenance Team and voice your concerns about excess salt use. If you live in a development that uses a private contractor for winter maintenance, pay attention to how much road salt is being used, and if it appears to be excessive, bring it to the attention of your homeowners’ association. 50% of the winter salts applied in the US are used to manage parking lots, sidewalks and other commercial salting.
What Municipalities Can Do
By using best management practices, it is possible for a municipality to reduce road salt usage by 50% and save taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars in materials and labor costs. Watch the documentary “The Road Map to Road Salt Reduction” to see how this was done in New York State:
https://salt.lakegeorgeassociation.org/
What Property Managers and Business Owners Can Do
Universities/School Districts, Hospitals, Churches, Business owners, and other large land owners that contract winter maintenance can craft contracts requiring winter maintenance professionals to use Best Management Practices such as calibrating equipment, training workers, and using minimum salting guidelines. See top of page “Property Manger Resources” information for good resources. Watch the one hour training video on Contracting with Road Salt Applicators.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cjHmcMZGt4
To find out more, use links to explore other Salt Resources.
Carey Institute of Ecosystem Studies – Road Salt: The problem, the Solution, and How to Get There
https://www.caryinstitute.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report_road_salt.pdf
Video: Salt Impacts on Water Quality – John Jackson, Stroud Water Research Center
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of4hpuFzgn0
Izaak Walton League of America Salt Watch – What you can do
Trout Unlimited Valley Forge salt pollution webpage
https://www.valleyforgetu.org/resources/whitepapers/road-salt/