Consider de-icing methods and their impacts during the winter season

METRO DETROIT — As the winter season continues in Michigan, residents will likely have multiple different preferences for removing ice from sidewalks, driveways, parking lots and roads.

During the winter, snow or ice storms and colder temperatures can cause issues to certain driving and walking areas.

“Each year, 24 percent of weather-related vehicle crashes occur on snowy, slushy or icy pavement and 15 percent happen during snowfall or sleet,” an excerpt from the Federal Highway Administration’s ‘Snow & Ice’ page states. “Over 1,300 people are killed and more than 116,800 people are injured in vehicle crashes on snowy, slushy or icy pavement annually. Every year, nearly 900 people are killed and nearly 76,000 people are injured in vehicle crashes during snowfall or sleet.”

Many people might prefer using salt, as (sodium chloride) is often used to address these issues by melting current ice patches or preventing potential ice issues. According to “Pros & Cons of Road Salt in Winter” from Bridgstone Tire, road salt can lower the freezing temperature of water and sprinkling salt on icy patches can melt them.

“The effectiveness of road salt in winter depends on the amount of salt used. Since road salt crystals are larger than regular table salt, the pressure from vehicles driving over salted roadways can also increase road salt’s effectiveness,” the Bridgestone Tire webpage states. “More salt is needed to manage ice as temperatures drop further below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.”

A lot of residents may prefer salt because it’s a cheaper and effective option, though the environmental impact of salt can be a concern.

“The most common deicing agent used in Michigan is a compound called sodium chloride. Sodium chloride causes severe decline in plant and tree health,” the city of Bloomfield Hills’ “Deicing Alternatives” webpage states. “Salt runoff can wash into the soil, thus increasing salt levels. As a result, the root systems grow (weak), which reduces the ability of foliage to fight disease. Salt that is applied near your home can enter streams directly from the road or from surrounding melting snow (runoff). A sudden or extreme change in salinity (or “saltiness”) can be harmful to aquatic life as well. Aquatic organisms require a certain amount of salt in the water. If the amount of salt is too great it will affect an organism’s ability to regulate the amount of fluids in and out of its cells.”

EGLE, when it was named the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, put out an FAQ on de-icers that described salt having negative effects on roads, plant life and bodies of water.

“Like any deicing substance, use of road salt has some negative consequences such as corrosivity related to both vehicles and building structures (i.e. bridges, overpasses and highway ramps), it is harmful to both ornamental and agricultural vegetation, and in certain areas salt runoff has potential to lead to unacceptable chloride concentrations in lakes and rivers,” the FAQ states.

“The Impact of Salts on Plants and How to Reduce Plant Injury from Winter Salt Applications,” from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, suggests that people carefully spread salt or other de-icing products to avoid plant life; place salt-tolerant plants in areas close to sidewalks and roadways; protect plants with physical barriers like burlap, plastic or wood; and reduce salt use by combining it with sand, sawdust or cinders for traction.

“De-icing materials that use salts other than sodium chloride, including calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium chloride, or calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) are more expensive but can reduce injury to plants,” the University of Massachusetts Amherst article states.

Ace Hardware has its own calcium magnesium chloride ice melt product that, according to the owner of the Trevarrow Ace Hardware store in Troy, Dennis Garbarz, performs better and doesn’t harm the concrete.

“It works better without a lot of traffic and doesn’t track inside,” Garbarz said. “It won’t damage surfaces and won’t kill the lawn or hurt the environment if used correctly.”

Garbarz also notes that sand can be useful for cars and trucks if they get stuck in other areas.

Jessie Buchholz, a sales associate at the Menards at 32501 Van Dyke Ave. in Warren, said that calcium chloride is better for cement, though a lot of customers prefer salt due to it being more popular and cost effective.

“Typically, people should make sure they store products inside and some products shouldn’t be around pets,” Buchholz said.