City Of Duluth: Do Not Over-Salt Your Sidewalks
I had never thought about this but I am sure glad I know now!
The City of Duluth issued a statement on their Facebook page Friday (January 15th). In the statement, they ask residents to make sure they aren't over salting their sidewalks. Of course, winter is here to stay until further notice and it's always good to have a little refresher on winter policies.
So why is this a big deal? According to city officials, putting too much salt down on your sidewalk "can seriously harm our local streams and pollute Lake Superior." I personally had never even thought of that so I am glad they issued this statement.
Standard practice, according to the city, is to "spread salt grains 3 inches apart" until spring finally kicks in later this year. This is definitely good to know!
As for this winter so far, it has been fairly mild. We have seen little snow and warm temperatures. In fact, it has been so warm that as of mid-January, Duluth was experiencing their second warmest January on record up to that point. This is a far cry from the usual brutal temperatures and heavy snow we see this time of the year.
One thing is for sure: winter will definitely come in strong at some point. Not only is it important not to over salt your sidewalks during the season but it is also important to brush up on some driving basics. We are no strangers to black ice around these parts.