HELPS REDUCE SODIUM IN DRINKING WATER
Region of Waterloo spreading its Smart About Salt program across the province
Region of Waterloo spreading its Smart About Salt program across the province
by Helen Hall
Kitchener Citizen
What started as a Region of Waterloo program to teach private contractors and property managers the best practices of salt management has expanded to help municipalities across the province.
The Smart About Salt program was started by the region in 2008 in response to concerns abour rising levels of sodium in local drinking water, said Eric Hodgins, Manager of Hydrogeology and Source Water for the region.
Hodgins said that, after running the program locally for two years, the region realized the “potential of the program was much larger” and turned it over to the Smart About Salt Council, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the protection of drinking water and the environment through programs that improve management of winter salt. Hodgins is currently president of the organization.
Other founding members of the council include the Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association, and Building Owners and Managers Association of Ottawa.
Hodgins said that, since turning the program over to the council in 2010, other municipalities have started to follow the lead of Waterloo Region, including Ottawa, Woodstock, and Niagara. He thinks it may eventually go national.
The Smart About Salt program includes three levels of accreditation. The first level trains operators about the best salt distribution practices that combine environmental concerns with safety.
“It’s all about using the right amount of salt at the right time in the right location,” Hodgins said.
The second level is accrediting contractors or property managers once all their staff have been trained and all their equipment calibrated to distribute salt effectively.
The third level is to accredit a facility for following the Smart About Salt practices. When a facility has been accredited, staff must document when, where and how much salt is distributed on the property.
Hodgins said reducing salt not only decreases the amount of sodium that reaches our drinking water, it also decreases the damage to infrastructure like bridges and roads, as well as damage to personal items such as clothing and carpets.
Hodgins said even some insurance companies have expressed an interest in the program. They like the fact that accredited facilities document when, where and how much salt is being distributed for safety.
The region continues to run the program locally and has accredited about 40 contractors this year.
The Smart About Salt Council’s head office is now located in Milton. You can learn more about the program from its website www.smartaboutsalt.com.
Kitchener Citizen
What started as a Region of Waterloo program to teach private contractors and property managers the best practices of salt management has expanded to help municipalities across the province.
The Smart About Salt program was started by the region in 2008 in response to concerns abour rising levels of sodium in local drinking water, said Eric Hodgins, Manager of Hydrogeology and Source Water for the region.
Hodgins said that, after running the program locally for two years, the region realized the “potential of the program was much larger” and turned it over to the Smart About Salt Council, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the protection of drinking water and the environment through programs that improve management of winter salt. Hodgins is currently president of the organization.
Other founding members of the council include the Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association, and Building Owners and Managers Association of Ottawa.
Hodgins said that, since turning the program over to the council in 2010, other municipalities have started to follow the lead of Waterloo Region, including Ottawa, Woodstock, and Niagara. He thinks it may eventually go national.
The Smart About Salt program includes three levels of accreditation. The first level trains operators about the best salt distribution practices that combine environmental concerns with safety.
“It’s all about using the right amount of salt at the right time in the right location,” Hodgins said.
The second level is accrediting contractors or property managers once all their staff have been trained and all their equipment calibrated to distribute salt effectively.
The third level is to accredit a facility for following the Smart About Salt practices. When a facility has been accredited, staff must document when, where and how much salt is distributed on the property.
Hodgins said reducing salt not only decreases the amount of sodium that reaches our drinking water, it also decreases the damage to infrastructure like bridges and roads, as well as damage to personal items such as clothing and carpets.
Hodgins said even some insurance companies have expressed an interest in the program. They like the fact that accredited facilities document when, where and how much salt is being distributed for safety.
The region continues to run the program locally and has accredited about 40 contractors this year.
The Smart About Salt Council’s head office is now located in Milton. You can learn more about the program from its website www.smartaboutsalt.com.
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