Winter storms are anticipated to place extra stress on Maine’s roads because the local weather warms, bringing extra frequent cycles of melting and freezing.

Now, College of Maine researchers have launched a brand new report on one supply of that stress: the salt that retains roads, parking heaps and sidewalks freed from ice and snow.

Though it’s essential for security, street salt may be dangerous to streams, wildlife and consuming water provides. It’s additionally an enormous expense, costing Maine taxpayers roughly $150 million per 12 months within the winter from 2019 to 2020. Cities and cities shouldered about two-thirds of these prices.

Total, the report requires Maine to minimize its reliance on street salt.

Jonathan Rubin, one of many authors of the report who leads the college’s Margaret Chase Smith Coverage Middle, mentioned that municipalities ought to re-evaluate how a lot salt they use, simply as they may with their police or faculty budgets.

“I feel the identical dialog must happen, which is, how rapidly do we actually need our roads cleaned? And might we reside with perhaps houses in entrance of small rural areas, perhaps they don’t get down to reveal pavement?” he mentioned. “You possibly can’t make one choice for the state as an entire. It’s going to should be on a town-by-town foundation. They should know who’s weak, who’s not weak. That’s why you may’t have a prime down method to this.”

One pilot mission within the Portland space is now evaluating the way to scale back using street salt within the Lengthy Creek watershed.

The researchers — who did their report on the request of the Maine Division of Transportation — additionally advocate that state officers present extra coaching to municipal and personal plow crews on lowering their dependence on street salt.

They level to at least one method in neighboring New Hampshire, by which contract street crews who take a state coaching on correct salt use can obtain legal responsibility safety in opposition to people who find themselves injured in areas they serve.

And the researchers recommended that extra schooling might be wanted for members of the general public, who might have come to anticipate a sure degree of snow-clearing after each winter storm, or want a reminder to drive extra fastidiously in occasions of snow or sleet.

Rubin recalled one massive storm a pair weeks in the past that dumped eight to 10 inches close to his residence within the Bangor space.

“The following day, I used to be completely satisfied to drive to Mount Desert Island and go snowboarding,” he mentioned. “Is it affordable that we are able to have a ten inch snowstorm after which the following day I can drive 100 miles? You understand, perhaps it’s affordable, however that’s what we’re speaking about.”

Brian Burne, a freeway upkeep engineer for Division of Transportation, mentioned he appreciates the findings within the new report, which compiles a wide range of information on street security, funding, climate patterns and chloride contamination in consuming water provides.

He hopes that it’s going to remind communities of the environmental harms from overuse of street salt. He additionally hopes that extra drivers can do issues corresponding to shopping for winter tires, which makes it safer to drive earlier than roads have been completely cleared of snow and ice.

“Ideally, you propose to the purpose the place you don’t should be out throughout the storm, however a whole lot of us have jobs that require us to be there, and there are issues that aren’t avoidable,” he mentioned. “You would possibly as effectively be ready and get snow tires.”

This text seems by way of a media partnership with Maine Public.

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