In the News - February 2008
Don't put away snow and ice removal equipment yet, agent advises
DANVILLE, Ark. - Winter is a good time to stay inside and try to stay warm
and cozy. Unfortunately, winter also brings with it snow and layers of slick ice
to shovel and melt from our sidewalks and driveways, said Van Banks, Yell County
agent with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
If warm spells in January lulled you into thinking the chance of snow and ice
were getting remote, recent winter conditions should have jarred you back to
reality. Remember last year's late freeze at Easter that wiped out fruit crops
and forced many row crop farmers to replant?
Banks recently reviewed snow and ice removal products and tools.
"Salt and sand have traditionally been seen as the most economical and
effective materials for de-icing driveways, walkways, and parking lots," Banks
said. "However, these products have hidden impacts. When ice melts, the salt and
chemicals dissolve and flow into street to the storm drains that lead directly
to a stream that empties into the our lakes and rivers. Impacts range from
creating changes in water salinity, to reducing oxygen levels in water.
"Other impacts include burning or killing vegetation along sidewalks and
driveways, damaging concrete and carpets, increasing sediment and phosphorus
levels and introducing toxic chemicals to our water supplies."
When it comes to snow removal, there's no substitute for muscle and elbow
grease, said Banks.
De-icers work best when only a thin layer of snow or ice must be melted. So
head out and shovel and move as much snow as possible during the storm. Using a
hoe to scrape ice off the surface before putting down a de-icer will increase
its effectiveness greatly.
Use a shovel or hoe to break up ice before you add another layer of deicer to
surfaces, he recommended. Adding more de-icer without removing what has melted,
results in over-application, and more salt and chemicals end up in stormwater. Also, de-icer
use can be reduced by limiting access to your home to one entrance.
"By limiting the amount of de-icer used on sidewalks and driveways, we also
reduce the amount of polluted stormwater," Banks noted.
Even if the surface being de-iced to is relatively far from a street or
stream, most of the product will not soak into the soil because the ground is
frozen. Instead, the de-icer will run off as the snow melts and as rain falls in
early spring. Using the recommended application rate for de-icers will break the
ice to pavement bond, and the remaining slush may be removed by shoveling, Banks
said.
He advised using pelleted de-icers rather than flaked deicers because pellets
are much more effective at penetrating ice.
"Some people use fertilizers as de-icers because they contain nutrients to
help plant growth when the snow and ice melts," Banks said. "In reality,
fertilizer-based de-icing products are expensive and perform poorly at lower
temperatures.
"Most of the fertilizer ends up washing into the storm drain because the soil
is frozen," Banks said, adding that "nutrients from fertilizers are one of the
major causes of algae bloom in bodies of water."
Some people like to use sand to provide traction.
Sand may contain phosphorus, according to Banks. When sand is washed off
driveways and sidewalks into storm drains, it ends up in our waterways,
increasing sediment, adding nutrients, and eliminating habitat for aquatic
organisms. The proper use of chemical alternatives may be more appropriate in
these situations.
For more information about snow and ice removal, contact your county
extension agent. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A
Division of Agriculture.
February 1, 2008
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207
ljames@uaex.edu
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