Snow and Ice Clearing Tips for Homeowners

Salt is a major water quality concern. The salt spread on the ground does not go away. Some of this salt soaks into the ground to mix with groundwater, the water we drink. Once the salt is in the water, there is no easy fix to remove it.

When everyone uses a little less, together we can make a difference.

Help keep salt out of groundwater

• Shovel or plow the snow as soon as you can before it packs down and turns to ice
• If ice forms, break up with a steel chopper and clear away with a shovel
• Add traction with sand, grit or non-clumping kitty litter
• Colder than -10 C? Salt does not work. Switch to sand for traction.

If salt is absolutely necessary

• If using an environmentally friendly ice melter, keep in mind it contains salt and isn't water friendly
• A sand and salt mix offers traction and ice melting with less salt
• In many cases, a few tablespoons of salt for a one-metre square area is all you need
• Spread salt evenly on icy areas only. Do not use salt to melt snow
• Wait to reapply. Even when you cannot see it, salt is hard at work.
• Salt does not expire. Clean up spilled and excess salt for another time.

What to use instead of salt

Sand, grit and non-clumping kitty litter are some of the products you can use to create traction and when it is too cold for salt to work (about -10C and colder). City of Kitchener residents can access sand using the City of Kitchener sandbox locator map.

If you want to melt the ice, the product you use most likely contains salt. This includes most products labelled pet, plant and environmentally friendly.