Snowfall, cold temperatures and freezing rain can quickly lead to hazardous conditions on roads and infrastructure, like sidewalks, trails and bridges. By pre-treating, plowing and salting infrastructure in the right way, at the right place, at the right time, the City of Mississauga is maintaining road safety while limiting the impact of salt on the environment.
Here’s what the City is doing, and what you can do, to manage salt-use and minimize its environmental impacts.
Effective Salt Management
- Pre-treating roads with brine. Applying a liquid brine solution to roads and bridges before a snowfall or freezing rain prevents ice from forming and snow from sticking to the road. Less rain and snow freezing to the roads means less salt is needed to keep the roads safe.
- Plowing more often. The City plows when snowfall reaches five centimetres of accumulation. Plowing more frequently means less salt is needed and makes salt, when it is applied, more effective.
- Using advanced weather monitoring and equipment. The City uses advanced weather monitoring and salt trucks equipped with on-board technology to monitor road conditions and apply salt only when and where it is needed.
- Applying treated salt on colder days. The City uses specially treated salt on roads, bus stops and priority sidewalks when the temperature drops below -7° Celsius. This treated salt works better at colder temperatures, so less of it is needed.
How You Can Help
- Clear snow off your sidewalk and driveway soon after the snow stops to avoid ice build-up.
- When melted snow and ice re-freezes it can cause slippery and hazardous conditions. Make sure your downspouts direct the wateronto your lawn – away from your sidewalk and driveway.
- Always remove snow before applying ice-melting and anti-skid materials as recommended by the manufacturer. It only takes one to two cups of salt to cover a single-car driveway.
- Salt only works on ice and snow when the temperature is above -10° Celsius. Use alternatives like sand, grit, mulch, non-clumping kitty litter or treated salt to add traction when the temperature is below -7° Celsius. Some of these options can even be swept up and reused.
- When safe to do so, clear ice and snow from roadside catch basins to allow water to drain safely and prevent ice build-up on the road. Call 311 to report blocked catch basins.
- If you see over-salting at one of our MiWay bus stops, report it to 311.
Follow @MississaugaSnow on Twitter (X) for updates on the City’s winter operations
