Season: Winter

1. Snow and Ice Management for Businesses (Infographic)

   It isn’t always easy to know the best way to take care of your home and driveway in the winter— that’s why we put together this infographic to help you understand the best ways to manage snow and ice while also staying safe and taking care of the environment. Remember, when it comes to chlorides, less is often more!

   

2. Best Management Practices for Winter Maintenance Managers

   The latest copy of the Maine Environmental Best Management Practices Manual for Snow and Ice Control can be found at the link below.  Winter maintenance is an important practice at the intersection between public safety and environmental health and should be carried out with thought and due diligence.

   Maine Environmental Best Management Practices Manual for Snow and Ice Control

   From the manual… 

   The purpose of this manual is to present tools and best practices for snow and ice control, when they should be used, and their limitations. The manual establishes clear and consistent guidelines for municipalities and contractors to achieve an acceptable level of safety balanced with the cost and environmental impacts of chlorides and abrasives on Maine’s land and water resources by promoting the understanding of the tools, best practices, and limitations for snow and ice control. The manual will also help snow and ice control professionals increase their understanding of when to use and when not to use these tools and practices. In addition, it encourages progressive changes in snow and ice control practices that will help reduce salt/sand use and environmental impacts while meeting the safety and mobility needs of roadway users. By adopting and following the standards, snow and ice control professionals can show due diligence in their snow removal practices.

   This manual provides options for consideration and presents decision-makers with a set of best management practices (BMP) that have the potential to reduce chloride use and potentially limit the impacts of chlorides or abrasives on infrastructure, investments (such as equipment and vehicles), and the environment without reducing the level of service.

   Adapting BMPs to local needs and conditions:
   We encourage you to test, document, and refine the practices from this manual based on your local experiences and send comments to the Maine Local Roads Center for future updates to this manual:

   Maine DOT Maine Local Roads Center, Attn: Peter Coughlan – Peter.Coughlan@maine.gov

3. Best Practices for Home Snow Removal and Deicing [Infographic]

   It isn’t always easy to know the best way to take care of your home and driveway in the winter— that’s why we put together this infographic to help you understand the best ways to stay safe, while also taking care of the environment. Remember, when it comes to chlorides, less is often more!

   Full download here: Best Practices for Home Snow Removal & Deicing

   

   Take the Survey

   • Do you live in or near Bangor?
     • Yes
     • No
   • Why do you use salt to reduce snow and ice on your property?
     • For my own safety
     • For the safety of others
     • Because others do
     • Because I always have
     • Because it makes it look nicer
     • I don't use salt
   • What solutions do you use to get rid of snow and ice?
   • Why would you consider reducing salt use on your property?
     • To protect water quality
     • To save money
     • To help the environment
     • To save time
   • Did you know that sodium chloride (salt) becomes less effective at temperatures below 20 degrees?
     • Yes
     • No
     • I just learned this by reading this question
   • Before reading this page, did you know that salt can be carried to water bodies through stormwater runoff?
     • Yes
     • No
   • What do you plan to do differently this winter?
     • Reduce my salt use
     • Try different deicers
     • Pre-salt before storms
     • Tell a friend!
   • CAPTCHA

4. Stormwater and Salt: a Difficult Balance