Information from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency:
The Minnesota MS4 General Permit was reissued on Nov. 16, 2020, which includes new requirements for reducing chloride pollution. Some notable requirements include:
- Public outreach and education about the environmental impacts posed by deicing salt use
- Implement a written snow and ice management policy and ensure training for those performing winter maintenance activities
- Proper salt storage practices
- MS4 permittees subject to a chloride TMDL must also conduct an annual winter maintenance operations assessment to assist in identifying deicing salt reduction opportunities
If you are an MS4 permittee, you can get a head start toward meeting these new requirements by having your winter maintenance staff (or those you hire) participate in an upcoming MPCA Smart Salting Certification Training. The training offers practical and technical information on better application and management practices, salt storage, policy examples, and resources for community outreach. Hear the value of getting certified from other maintenance pros who are using less salt and still offering a high level of service at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjt5Oiqx6ps.
Openings are available for the MPCA Smart Salting for Parking Lots & Sidewalks Certification Training on Tuesday, Feb. 9th. If you would like to participate, please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mpca-smart-salting-for-parking-lots-sidewalks-certification-training-registration-132104892289.
In addition, consider participating in a future Level 2 Online Certification Training, which covers how to use the Smart Salting Assessment tool (SSAt). MS4 permittees subject to a chloride TMDL can use this training to help meet the winter operations assessment requirement. This training will be offered next on March 2 and April 15.
A calendar for all upcoming trainings is available on the MPCA’s Smart Salting training website at https://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/smart-salting-training