Environment Canada has released a Code of Practice to guide the environmental management of road salts.
BY GRANT CAMERON
STAFF WRITER
Environment Canada has released a Code of Practice to guide the environmental management of road salts.
The code is intended for organizations that use more than 500 tons of salt on public roads annually, or have vulnerable areas in their territory.
The main recommendations of the code are:
• The development and implementation of road salts management plans;
• The implementation of best management practices relating to road salting activities;
• The establishment of procedures to monitor and report on progress accomplished; and
• Review after five years to consider the level of implementation of best management practices and to determine if other steps are needed.
Environment Canada says this basically this means that municipalities should develop and start to implement their own salt management plan by mid 2006.
The salt management plan can be extensive, similar to what the City of Toronto and several other municipalities have already done, or a couple of pages in length for a small municipality that uses only 500 to 1,000 tons of salt per year.
David Anderson, who was minister of the environment at the time the code was released, said he is pleased to share it with provinces, territories, municipalities and others who are responsible for public roads.
“It is the result of two years of working with road authorities, the salt industry, environmental organizations and other stakeholders to develop a tool that will assist communities in protecting their environment while continuing to keep roads safe.”
Anderson said that, on average, about five million tonnes of road salt is used to keep Canadian roads clear of ice and snow.
But, he said, science has shown that road salts in high concentrations pose a serious threat to animals, plants and aquatic environments around storage and disposal sites and through runoff into streams and rivers.
The experiences of some municipalities, the work of the Transportation Association of Canada, and developments in technology and knowledge have shown us that we can reduce this damage, he said.
“The Code of Practice encourages those who manage roadways to develop salt management plans so that road salts can be used more efficiently and effectively, and with less environmental harm.
“By releasing the Code of Practice now, we hope to give road authorities a head start on developing salt management plans for the coming year.”
Anderson said the code is an example of how the federal government can work with provinces, territories and municipalities in a way that produces real results for Canadians.
“It also demonstrates how the Canadian Environmental Protection Act allows us to develop tools that work to manage pollutants in our soil and water,” he said.
The code was developed because a study showed that high releases of road salts have negative effects on aquatic ecosystems, plants and animals.
Each year, more than $1 billion is spent on road salt in Canada. The highest concentration of salt use is in Eastern Canada, especially Southern Ontario.
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