Our October 10th Fox River On Tap event invited local residents out for discussion on the impacts of over-salting on our waterways. Connie Fortin of Fortin Consulting provided an overview of varieties of de-icing salts and their impacts in our infrastructure and our environment. This event was coordinated in conjunction with two workshops held the same week, one in De Pere and one in Oshkosh. The workshops are coordinated by the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, and utilize these experts to educate local snow plow contractors on the proper methods for winter parking lot maintenance. The On Tap event was geared toward local residents, and took place at the Appleton Beer Factory in downtown Appleton.
Key messages of the event included:
- Once you put salt down, it doesn’t go away. It alters the composition of soil, slows plant growth and weakens the concrete, brick and stone that make up our homes, garages, bridges, and roads. It travels into our lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands, putting our aquatic life at risk and endangering our freshwater resources.
- There are steps residents can take to reduce salt usage on their properties and its impact on the environment.
We appreciate the news coverage we received from WBAY Channel 2:
This post was written by:
Kelly Reyer, Outreach Coordinator for the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance.
E-mail: Kelly@fwwa.org Phone: 920-915-1502
