By now, Seacoast residents have probably shoveled, snowblew, or been plowed out multiple times this winter. In many instances, we can thank hardworking plowing companies or state-affiliated crews for their efforts. But when the snow has stopped, problems remain, sometimes right in your own driveway or in neighborhood sidewalks.
Many plowing companies and road maintenance operations use a salt and calcium chloride mix to de-ice roads and sidewalks. While this reduces accidents and pedestrian falls, these substances have negative effects on vegetation, human health, and the environment in general. In fact, the recently-elected mayor of Moscow banned the use of chemical de-icers on the city's sidewalks as a result of years of resident's complaints about the effect on their health. Considering how corrosive these mixtures are, it's no wonder that roadside grass, trees, and shrubs often are in much poorer health than other vegetation only 10 feet away.
However, there safer alternatives. Portsmouth-based Crescent Plowing Services, whose only business is snow removal, uses an EPA-approved de-icer called Magic Salt, which uses distilled condensed solublesa byproduct of the vodka distillation processin conjunction with rock salt to lower the freezing point of water to -30F. Moreover, Magic Salt is 90 percent less corrosive than rock salt/calcium chloride mixtures, and more effective, resulting in 30 to 50 percent less usage. In addition to helping vegetation, it helps keep pets safe. In 2000, the ASPCA issued a toxicity alert on ice melters, particularly those containing sodium and calcium chloride because those chemicals can easily stick to an animal's paws, and cause subsequent digestive tract irritation when the pet ingests the mixture while cleaning and licking its paws.
"One of the great things about Magic Salt is that it contains magnesium chloride, which is much more pet-safe than other commercial de-icing ingredients, and much gentler on vegetation," said Dean Outhouse, operations manager for Crescent Snow & Ice Management. "While you should still wash your pet's paws off after they've been out in the street during the winter, Magic Salt is far less toxic, which is why it's the only de-icer to be recognized by the EPA for its safety."
Switching to a healthier de-icer also positively impacts freshwater ecosystems that can become uninhabitable for plant and wildlife species. Salt and chemical de-icers can also affect the quality and taste of local drinking water supplies. To combat this, NH state officials require the placement of a silt fence between "snow dumps," which frequently contain significant amounts of road salts, and any nearby waterways, and have mandated that snow storage areas be at least 400 feet from municipal wells.
Crescent Plowing is a member of the Green Alliance, a union of 85 green businesses across New Hampshire, Southern Maine, and Northern Massachusetts, which represents 1,800 consumers. Numerous Green Alliance members use Crescent Plowing for their snow and ice removal needs precisely because of the environmental advantages of Crescent's system and materials.
For more information, visit www.crescentplowing.com or www.greenalliance.biz.
Current Issue - May 2024