{"id":181711,"date":"2024-11-22T16:45:48","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T21:45:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/rwddev\/saltymuskoka-project-aims-to-reduce-excessive-road-salt-use\/"},"modified":"2024-11-22T16:45:48","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T21:45:48","slug":"saltymuskoka-project-aims-to-reduce-excessive-road-salt-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/saltymuskoka-project-aims-to-reduce-excessive-road-salt-use\/","title":{"rendered":"SALTYMuskoka project aims to reduce excessive road salt use"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From the Friends of the Muskoka Watershed:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friends of the Muskoka Watershed (FOTMW) are concerned about the damage caused to area lakes due to increasing road salt usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


FOTMW has been awarded an EcoAction program grant from The Canadian Water Agency to support their work finding ways to reduce the excessive use of road salt, and to educate the public about road salt risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cThis is a critical issue that\u2019s getting worse. This grant will help,\u201d says FOTMW chair Lenore Inniss. \u201cWe will also need community financial support to take this project to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Excessive road salt use is contaminating Muskoka\u2019s lakes to the point where aquatic life is negatively impacted. One result is the decreasing population of the small creatures that eat the algae in the lakes. This could result in more algal blooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur goal is to engage the Muskoka community (urban and lakeshore residents, schools, and commercial property owners) to reduce the use of road salt on residential properties, sidewalks and parking lots,\u201d explains FOTMW director Dr. Norman Yan. Studies show that most people are using five to 10 times more road salt than required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


While this $74,000 grant is great news, a requirement of the grant is FOTMW must match the funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need our donors and members to help us fundraise this amount so we can carry out the work to help protect our watershed,\u201d says Inniss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s estimated that about 20 percent of the road salt used in Muskoka is applied to parking lots, driveways and sidewalks. That 20 percent is the focus of this grant. The program is officially called Promoting Freshwater Health in Muskoka: Community-Led Reductions in Road Salt Usage, or SALTYMuskoka for short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The SALTYMuskoka project will help schools, businesses, lake associations and individual community members record salt levels and participate in road salt reduction education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


How bad is the salt problem?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Levels of most pollutants, such as nitrogen, phosphorous, acidity and metals have either stabilized or fallen in Muskoka lakes. But road salt levels have increased in lakes with developed watersheds and will likely worsen with continued population growth and climate change unless action is taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n