Get Your Free Salt Cup And Sprinkle Responsibly!
The Mattagami Region Source Protection Authority and the Source Protection Committee recently launched a new information campaign about how to Salt Responsibly this winter. New education tools include a free salt cup for residents and business owners to help you determine how much salt you need to use! Salt can easily make its way through our stormwater system and flows directly into our local waterways. Try reducing your salt usage this year and make a difference in the quality of local waterways.
Head to the MRCA office located at 100 Lakeshore Road to pick up your free salt cup and pamphlet to help reduce commercial and home salt use or call 705-360-2660.
How to Properly Apply Salt
Drinking Water Source Protection – Salt Responsibly
Conservation Ontario launched a province-wide campaign, addressing road salt’s impact on source water. The following story map provides information, science and actions that the public can take to improve our current salty situation.
View the Drinking Water Source Protection – Salt Responsibly Story Map
Salt Management
Have you heard about the City of Timmins’ Salt Management Plan (SMP)?
The City strives to ensure salt is only applied in a controlled and effective manner when required, in the right amount, at the right time and in the right place. The SMP includes best practices respecting environmental risk, storage and application while ensuring road safety.
Salt Management Plan Facts
- The City of Timmins has approximately 450 centre line kilometres. Within this, 100 center line kilometres are higher volume arterial or high speed secondary roads which are maintained with salt.
- Plowing is the preferred method of removing snow and ice from the road surface; however, plowing alone cannot remove ice that has become bonded to the pavement. Salt is used as a de-icing chemical to deal with this bond.
- The City of Timmins uses Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Automatic Vehicle Location system (AVL), infrared pavement thermometers, electronic spreader controls and good housekeeping along with improved staff training and documentation to track and reduce salt usage.
- The salt spreaders are calibrated two (2) times per season to ensure application rates are strictly adhered to. The GPS/AVL keeps track of the location and application rate where all the road salt material is spread.
- The SMP identifies two (2) locations (Intake Protection Zone 1 and Intake Protection Zone 2) that are considered to be Salt Vulnerable Areas, where salt application rates must be strictly adhered to in order to minimize the risk of contamination to the drinking water supply.