There Goes the Watershed
Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 2:11PM Am I the only one unsettled by the widespread use of neon-colored salt crystals on city sidewalks and parking lots? I mean, I'm seeing the stuff everywhere this winter.
Like when I walked down the Avenue today:
And when I went for a bagel:
What on earth does it do to the plants and grass when it melts off the sidewalk? What about the dogs and cats who carry it home on their paws and - God forbid - lick it when they sit down to clean themselves?
Where does it go when it runs down the storm drains? And what does it do to everything it meets in the waters beyond?
I've got to think that anything manufactured in such unnatural and grotesque colors can't be harmless.
I first noticed the salt crystals after the big snowstorm in December. Someone a block or two away blanketed their sidewalk with green ones that turned into a toxic sludge of Nickelodeon slime over the course of a few days. It was such an unholy, frightening mixture that I walked the kids over snow and ice just to avoid getting the stuff within three feet of our boots.
I didn't want to drag it back home and bring it inside. Risk getting it on the floors where we sit and play, do yoga, roll around, rest. Egads. Can you imagine?
What's alarming, though, is how common the crystals have become. Is there some marketing campaign that I missed? I just can't remember seeing them as regularly as I do now.
I've also noticed that some people think that if they sprinkle the salt they can skip the shovel. As if it will dissolve the snow as quickly as salt incinerates a slug. But it doesn't. Look here:
So, have you noticed the same trend in your neighborhood? What's up?
Reader Comments (6)
It is like Velveeta cheese...that color just isn't natural.
I agree with your worry and also wonder about the flora and fauna after the snow melts.
It sure does make for some beautiful and interesting images though...
It surely does harm to the Chesapeake Bay. Oh well, what did we want with those crabs, oysters, and fish anyway. As a runner, the non-shoveling part of the community really bugs me because it leaves the sidewalks treacherous for a long time afterward. It also means that I'm much less likely to take my daughter to the town center on foot, which is our preference. If we can't go on foot, we're much less likely to go, and then we don't get to the library much. It's a lousy cycle.
On the upside, we finally found a sled, so we're really looking forward to this weekend's predicted snow!
I recently bought some pet-, kid-, and environment-friendly snow & ice melter and it's green. When I put it on my driveway and sidewalk after last weekend's snow I actually did wonder what the neighbors would think, especially my fellow dog-owners: I found myself wishing for a way to advertise that it only looked scary!
Now that's interesting and good to know, Jenny... Maybe when I see the green stuff I won't immediately think it's radioactive.
Dana, just tried this yesterday at my parents house where they had about two inches of ice on the back deck.
1 quart hot water (snow reducer)
1 tablespoon rubbing alcohol (the ice melter)
A few drops of liquid dish detergent (keeps ice from resticking)
Pour over area of front steps, wait a bit and then it will break up the ice when you shovel. Still requires a bit of work, but is a bit better than any "products" out there.
Also, I have a no shoe house because of things like this.