WILMINGTON – The Ausable River Association (AsRA) will distribute a salt use survey to Lake Placid residents, businesses and independent contractors this winter.
Developed with association partners at the Adirondack Watershed Institute, the survey is key to determining the amount of salt entering Mirror Lake and the Chubb River.
Funded by the Lake Champlain Basin Program through a multi-year technical grant, this is another part of AsRa’s ongoing scientific effort to find a solution to road salt contamination in these waterways. .
The salt survey is specific to residents and businesses in the Chubb River watershed. The watershed encompasses the region surrounding Lake Placid and includes the Village of Lake Placid.
Completing the survey will take approximately 5-20 minutes, depending on the size of the area residents are tending to during their winter maintenance.
“The salt survey is critical to understanding the health of Mirror Lake,” said Kelley Tucker, executive director of AsRA.
“The City of North Elba and Village of Lake Placid road crews are monitoring their usage. Now we need to understand how much salt is deposited on sidewalks, driveways, driveways and parking lots by Lake Placid businesses and residents.
For the survey to be successful, please keep receipts for sand or salt purchases from this winter season.
If residents use a contractor, ask them to track their usage on your property.
Survey questions include what is used to remove snow and ice, for example, shovel, snow blower, sand, salt and/or brine, etc.
The AsRA also tries to assess the desired level of service.
For example, is the goal of winter maintenance for residents to achieve hard, compact snow without ice, wet pavement with residual snow and ice, or completely dry pavement?
There are no right or wrong answers in terms of amounts used or goals.
Instead, it is essential to obtain accurate accounting of all private salt users.
“The salt survey is a great opportunity to contribute to our science on Mirror Lake,” said Leanna Thalmann, AsRA Water Quality Associate.
The survey will be published in March and accessible via Google Forms.
The survey can also be provided by telephone, and a printed version can be made available by contacting the Ausable River Association.
To learn more about AsRA’s work on Mirror Lake, please visit ausableriver.org.
If you have any questions about the survey or would like to receive a survey, please email: [email protected].
The AsRA Salt Use Reduction Initiative in Lake Placid is funded by the Lake Champlain Basin Program, North Elba Local Enhancement and Advancement Fund, Adirondack Foundation – Nancy Adams Sweet Family Fund, Adirondack Foundation – Holderied Family Community Fund, the Village of Lake Placid, the Mirror Lake Watershed Association, the City of North Elba and many other generous private donors.
