In Arlington and across the region, we are watching our winter salt use – here’s how you can too. Use these three easy steps:
1. Shovel Early and Often
First, remove snow with a shovel before it turns to ice.
Consider not using any salt. Can you use shoveling, sand, and sunlight to keep your sidewalks safe and ice-free? Or can you limit salt use to a few spot treatments instead of your whole driveway or walkway?
If you use salt or other deicer, apply it only after clearing snow.
2. Treat Wisely: Spread Lightly and Evenly
If you use salt or another deicer, spread lightly and evenly.
Consider using alternative products that use Calcium Magnesium Acetate (CMA) instead of sodium chloride. Instead of salt or sand, birdseed can help provide traction.
For a 20-foot driveway or 10 sidewalk squares, a 12-ounce coffee mug is typically enough (Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments). That works out to one to two tablespoons per sidewalk square.
3. Sweep and Reuse
After ice melts, sweep leftover salt into safe storage to keep it out of our rivers and streams.
Images courtesy of Montgomery County, MD's "Don't Be Salty" campaign.
It only takes one teaspoon of salt to permanently pollute 5 gallons of water. Winter salt is making news for its increasing impact on local drinking water sources.
Salt can:
- Raise sodium levels in our drinking water and increase treatment costs.
- Harm pets, fish, plants and other wildlife.
- Corrode vehicles, roads, bridges and parking lots.
There’s no easy or cheap way to remove salt from our environment. We can all do our part to use less salt. Be #WinterSaltSmart!
Above: Increasing chloride salt levels in the Potomac River (Great Falls), from the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB). Darker blue colors indicate higher levels of chloride. Learn more about increasing salt levels in the Potomac River from ICPRB's StoryMap.
Below: Many people aren't aware that in Arlington, storm drains lead directly to the nearest neighborhood stream, without any treatment. This graphic shows the path from storm drain to stream and effects of salt on fish in Arlington's streams.
Prevent Ice by Diverting Downspouts
Redirect your downspouts or sump pumps to drain onto lawn areas to keep your sidewalks and driveways ice-free. Be Nice and Clear the Ice.
Plan Ahead, Stay Off the Roads
Gather supplies beforehand and if possible, plan to stay off the roads until the snow melts.
Too Cold for Salt? Watch the Temperature
When it is colder than 15°F, winter salt will not work. Build traction with alternatives like birdseed or sand. Sweep up the sand once it's done being used.
Protect Pets, Plants, Streams, and Drinking Water
When we use less salt, we protect our pets' paws - and our drinking water sources.
Brine uses a quarter of the salt contained in traditional rock salt. When Arlington County uses brine instead of rock salt on County roads, we can limit how much salt ends up in our drinking water sources. Arlington also provides winter salt training to employees and contractors each fall in advance of the snow season. Additionally, the County has worked to upgrade equipment that can more carefully regulate and track the quantity of salt used.
If you see excess salt on the roads, you can take photos and report it:
Arlington County is also providing outreach and participating in the Northern Virginia Salt Workgroup and Salt Management Strategy and regional efforts. Here's how you can learn more:
Images courtesy of the Northern Virginia Clean Water Partners, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Montgomery County, MD, Northern Virginia Salt Management Strategy, and the Salting Shift Campaign of the Smart About Salt Council.
These tips are particularly helpful for homeowners associations, commercial properties, non-profits or places of worship who might be contracting their winter snow removal and salt application activities.
1. Educate residents, tenants and community members on the importance of smart salting practices. Help community members understand why moderating winter salt use is important. Build it into your organizational or business culture.
2. Develop and Adopt a Winter Salt Plan or Policy for your organization or business. Key components might include:
- An organizational goal of minimizing winter salt use,
- A description of local streams, lakes, rivers and other locally specific reasons for minimizing winter salt,
- Site specific best practices, which can include "No Plow, No Salt" zones, key spot treatment locations and a breakdown of the different surface types on the property (walkways, driveways, patios) and how they should be managed (equipment, product, best practices, or no treatment). Designate safe areas for snow storage where snow will not melt onto walkways or driving areas and re-freeze.
- Winter Salt Smart best practices, which can include using brine as pre-treatment, plowing or shoveling before salt is used, and sweeping up excess. It could also include specific instructions to shovel and monitor the area for ice, only using deicer if ice starts to form and can't be broken up manually. To prevent overapplication, the policy can specify salt application rates and amounts, application tracking, equipment calibration, and keeping salt safely stored.
- A commitment to continue to follow best practices.
3. Restructure Winter Snow Removal Contracts. When your snow removal contract is up for renewal, look carefully for opportunities to reduce winter salt use. This can include:
- Payment structure. Many contracts structure payment by how much deicer is applied. Unfortunately, this can incentivize overapplication. Instead, use the contract to emphasize smart salting practices and balance multiple goals: safety, cost, and minimizing environmental impacts.
- Best practices. The contract can list the site specific and Winter Salt Smart best practices to prevent overapplication identified in your Winter Salt Policy (see above). If your organization has not yet adopted a plan or policy, this can be a good time to decide which practices are most appropriate for your property.
- Level of service expectations. A "Duty of Care" statement regarding smart salting best practices can help protect both sides for liability purposes.
- Follow up during and after snow events to make sure the plan was implemented correctly.
Check out Only Rain Down the Storm Drain: Winter Weather Resources for more information, sample contracts and policies, great information about different product types, proper application rates, and more.
Learn more about Community Winter Salt Management at the DMV Winter Salt Webinar on January 23, 2026!