Winter Maintenance

Managing Chlorides

The BCWMC encourages property managers and owners to develop and implement a winter maintenance and chloride management plan to reduce environmental, structural, and landscaping degradation caused by the overuse of salt. It only takes one teaspoon of salt to permanently pollute five gallons of water!

Determine the best winter maintenance plan for your site: Calculator

Download winter maintenance plan templates: Basic Template - Intermediate Template - Detailed Template

We also recommend that winter maintenance crews be certified by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in Smart Salting for Parking Lots and Sidewalks. A list of current certificate holders is found here; and information on trainings is found here. Trainings are also available specifically for property managers and owners to learn more about best management practices so they can appropriately oversee winter maintenance activities and hire well-trained crews.

Find training manuals and additional resources:

• MPCA Salt Applicators
• Manual: Smart salting for property management
• Fact Sheet: Winter parking lot and sidewalk maintenance
• Manual: Winter parking lot and sidewalk maintenance

Public Education on Impacts of Salt

Property users such as building tenants, employees, renters, or patrons should also be aware of best practices for winter maintenance and the detrimental effects of salt in the environment. If you’re using certified winter maintenance contractors who are sure to use best practices, you could display signage letting property users that you’re “salting smart!” Download a 6 x 11 sign for your entry here: saltsmart.info/salt-smart-cards/.