SaltWise Campaign Launched, Encouraging Sustainable Salt Practices Amid Icy Conditions

As Montgomery County residents navigate icy conditions following this week's snow, the Montgomery County Departments of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Transportation (MCDOT), and the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC Water) are urging residents and businesses to moderate salt usage during winter weather events.

The 2025 SaltWise campaign aims to increase awareness of the environmental and water quality impacts caused by excessive salt application during snow and ice events.

Read the News Release.

Helpful Winter Weather Resources

 

This week brought the first significant snow in several years, and residents may have questions about who to ask for information, how to get updates on snowplowing, who to report a power outage to and how to report other issues and concerns. The following is a list of winter resources available to residents throughout the season.  

Alert Montgomery

Alert Montgomery is a valuable tool for receiving emergency alerts, event updates, warnings and instructions delivered directly to your email or device. Sign up for Montgomery County's  Alert Montgomery. 

Helping the Unhoused

During extreme cold emergencies and winter storms, staff from the Department of Health and Human Services and community-based partners reach out to unhoused individuals and urge them to seek shelter. The County will activate emergency shelters as needed. Residents concerned about the well-being of someone who is unhoused can call the 24-hour Homeless Information Line at 240-907-2688. Outreach partners will attempt to locate the individual and urge them to come indoors to a shelter. If someone is seeking shelter, call the Crisis Center at 240-777-4000. The County may be able to offer transportation to a shelter. Outreach teams can help get someone to a shelter and if the Montgomery County Police Department encounters an unhoused individual, they provide transportation to one of the emergency shelters.

Winter Storm Information Portal

Residents often have questions about the status of plowing in their neighborhood. The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) crews begin plowing and salting primary roads at the beginning of a storm before plowing and salting secondary roads and residential neighborhoods. Residents can check plowing operations and submit service requests for missed streets after plowing operations end.

MCDOT is responsible for clearing snow on 5,300 miles of County roads, including 1,608 emergency primary routes and more than 3,600 residential roads. Primary routes are kept clear as a priority for emergency vehicle access. The Maryland State Highway Administration is responsible for clearing all State roads in the County, including those designated by numbers. Find out who maintains your street on the Snow Information Portal.

MC311 Customer Service Center

MC311 is the County’s source for non-emergency government information and services. Residents can contact MC311 for information about a variety of issues, such as questions about County services offered during a storm or affected by a storm, including bulk trash or recycling bin pick-ups, fallen trees blocking roadways or sidewalks, road or sidewalk repair, shelter options, street light outages, streets not cleared within 24-36 hours after the storm ends and transit schedule changes.

MC311 is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Call 3-1-1 within the County or, if outside the County, call 240-777-0311 or visit the MC311 website.

Utility Service Disruptions

To report a loss of power or other utility, reach out to the specific utility (electric, gas and water). 

If you see a downed power line, leave the area immediately and report it to Pepco. Contact the Pepco Outage Center to report an outage via the online portal. You also can text OUT to 48710 or call 1-877-737-2662:

• Pepco (Electricity): 1-877-737-2662 or Pepco Outage Center.
• Washington Gas (Gas Leaks): 1-844-927-4427 or Washington Gas Emergency.
• WSSC Water (Water and Sewer): 1-800-828-6439 or WSSC Customer Service.

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Stay Informed

For the latest snow-related updates, visit the County's Snow Information Portal and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X @MontgomeryCoMD. Visit the County’s website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov for additional information.

For the latest updates on road conditions, closures and other storm-related information, check the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security on X for updates @ReadyMontgomery.

County and WSSC Water Urge Homeowners to be ‘Salt Wise’ and Use Less Salt During Winter Storms to Reduce Impact on the Environment and Drinking Water

The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Department of Transportation (MCDOT) and WSSC Water are urging homeowners to be “Salt Wise” and use less salt on sidewalks and driveways during winter storms. Local leaders, including County Executive Marc Elrich and WSSC Water General Manager and CEO Carla A. Reid, emphasized the campaign at an event this week in Potomac.

Salt runs off into storm drains, local streams, and eventually, to the Potomac and Patuxent rivers, which are drinking water sources for 1.8 million people in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. Salt can corrode concrete and masonry, harm pets, damage surrounding plants and lawns, and adversely impact the water supply.

“As we move into the winter season, we want the public to be aware of the environmental dangers of over salting,” said County Executive Elrich. “It’s critically important that every public and private sidewalk to be passable and safe following winter storms. However, we want homeowners to understand that over salting does not make sidewalks and driveways safer, rather it puts our water eco-system at greater long-term risk of damage.”

Salt levels have been steadily increasing in local streams, posing a risk to sensitive wildlife and stream health. Once salt gets into waterways, it does not go away.

“Over the past 30 years, we have seen a dramatic increase in salt levels the Potomac and Patuxent rivers,” said WSSC Water General Manager and CEO Reid. “Because we cannot remove salt during the filtration process, higher levels end up in the drinking water—impacting people who must closely monitor their salt intake. In addition, salt is corrosive and slowly wears away our water mains, which leads to more breaks and leaks.”

The Salt Wise campaign is a simple three-step method for residents to keep sidewalks and driveways safe while also reducing harm to the environment.

The tips that residents can follow include:

• Shovel ice and snow early and often.
• Use one 12-ounce cup of salt for 10 sidewalk squares or for a 20-foot driveway.
• After storm events, sweep up excess salt for reuse.

“We hope residents will heed this guidance as we all work together to protect our environment,” said Acting County DEP Director, Adriana Hochberg. “We need everyone to be Salt Wise this winter and to remember that salt can harm our streams and creeks and impact our drinking water.”

MCDOT manages the County’s snowstorm response and is also implementing steps to reduce salt overuse.

“We apply the minimum amount of salt necessary to endure public safety during snowstorms,” said MCDOT Chief of Highway Services Richard Dorsey. “We have implemented plow bumpers on all our plows, allowing for early plowing. We also use salt brine, a 23 percent solution of salt vs. water to reduce salt use.”

Residents can take action if they see large piles of salt accidentally spilled onto roadways. MCDOT advises residents to call 311 if they see a need for salt pile cleanup.

“Protecting our environment is a core value for MCDOT,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin. “We are consistently looking for ways to do things better with less of an impact. We work closely with DEP to monitor salt levels, use only what we need and are heavily involved in the County’s Climate Action plans to reach County goals of reduced emissions. We work to improve our environment whenever we can. We ask residents to do the same. It will take all of us making environmentally friendly choices collectively to have the impact we need to see occur.”

For more information on how to effectively address salt use on residential and commercial properties, go to MontgomeryCountyMD.gov/salt.

Montgomery County Executive Elrich Announces More Sustainable Winter Storm Initiatives

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has announced that the County’s Department of Transportation (MCDOT) would be using new environmental controls to ensure that snow removal operations are more sustainable. County Executive Elrich discussed the new approach during the County’s annual “Snow Summit” at which preparations for the 2019-20 winter storm season were reviewed and equipment was rolled out by MCDOT’s Highway Services Division.

The Snow Summit this year was held at the MCDOT Gaithersburg Depot. Among those joining County Executive Elrich were MCDOT Director Chris Conklin, Highway Services Division Chief Richard Dorsey and representatives of Montgomery Parks, which also has snow removal responsibilities on its properties. Among the innovations they talked about were MCDOT’s experimentation using rubber-tipped blades on snowplows. Metal-tipped blades damage the roadway if they are used before there is three inches of snow on the ground. Rubber-tipped blades may allow trucks to begin plowing sooner, without using salt.

One of the challenges MCDOT faces during snowstorms is finding the right balance for use of salt—applying enough to make roads safe and protect the lives of travelers while also minimizing water quality and other environmental impacts.

More information about the innovative preparations the County is making as it readies for the upcoming storm season can be found here.

Good Neighbors Clear Their Sidewalks of Ice and Snow

When winter storms hit, residents are reminded to clear sidewalks in front of and along their property lines within 24 hours of the snowfall. Clearing sidewalks is not only the law but it is the right thing to do to make sure everyone has a safe path to walk. For more information, visit montgomerycountymd.gov/safesidewalks or watch video from YouTube.

County Holds Snow Summit to Prepare for Winter Storm Season

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett detailed the County’s plans for the upcoming snow season at the Snow Summit held on November 2. The event included all County agencies with snow removal responsibilities to assess and prepare for the possibility of winter storms. New initiatives this year included a revised online portal that provides snow information in a more user-friendly format and a pilot project that will compare the effectiveness of salt brine versus salt in treating 18 miles of roads. If salt brine is proven to be as effective, MCDOT could reduce the amount of salt required for winter storm treatment, which would also benefit environmental quality. The Snow Summit Presentation is available here.

New Safe Sidewalks Campaign Launched

Joining Leggett for the campaign announcement on the steps of the County Council Office Building in Rockville were Councilmembers Nancy Floreen, Hans Riemer and Sidney Katz.

A Safe Sidewalks initiative designed to remind residents they are required by law to clear sidewalks in front of, and alongside, their properties within 24 hours of the end of a snowstorm has been introduced by County Executive Ike Leggett.

All single-family households in the County received a mailer from the Office of Public Information and the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. The campaign also will include bus signs, posters, blow-up signs in County libraries and recreational centers, outreach to civic associations and community organizations, and social media.


The County has also rolled out a comprehensive new website -- www.montgomerycountymd.gov/safesidewalks – that includes the County law on sidewalks, details about the slightly different requirements in some municipalities and a “Frequently Asked Questions” section.