Performance indicators and national targets for environmental management of road salts: table 1

Adoption of the Code:
Purpose: To preserve a high level of participation in the Code and to inform on best practices in road salt management.

1) Submission of annual report

• number of road organizations reporting regularly

• 8 provinces and one territory
• 201 municipalities reported regularly
• 9 national parks and 4 private businesses

Review of salt management plans
Purpose: To ensure planning is current and allow for continuous improvement. This is a key component of the Code and all organizations are expected to conduct annual reviews.

2) Annual review of salt management plan

• % of road organizations that annually review their salt management plan

Salt Storage - Road Salts Site
Purpose: To ensure that all road organizations in Canada have committed to managing their material storage facilities and to ensure best practices at point sources

3) Road Salts are stored under a permanent roof and on impermeable pads

• % tonnes of road salts that are stored under a permanent roof and on impermeable pads

• 96% of the road salts used by municipalities are covered
• 93% on impermeable pads
• 100% of road salts used by 8/9 provinces and the Yukon are covered on impermeable pads

Storage sites - Treated abrasives
Purpose: To ensure that all road organizations in Canada have committed to managing their material storage facilities and to ensure best practices at point sources. Case studies have illustrated an elevation in the quantity of salt leached through uncovered piles of abrasives.

4) Treated abrasives are covered

• % tonnes of treated abrasives covered

• 52% of treated abrasives used by municipalities are covered
• 62% of treated abrasives used by provinces are covered

Salt Application - Electronic controllers
Purpose: Groundspeed oriented electronic controllers on salt spreaders help to ensure that salt is applied at the proper rate regardless of the speed of the truck being used to spread the salt, and that salt stops discharging when the truck is stopped. Adoption and use of technologies are expected to increase and become a core practice for all organizations.

5) Spreaders are equipped with groundspeed electronic controllers

• % of vehicles with groundspeed electronic controllers

• 82% of municipal fleet
• 88% of provincial fleet was equipped with groundspeed controllers (seven provinces with more than 82%, the two other provinces with 50% and 60%)

Salt Application - Optimization of de-icers
Purpose: To encourage use of advanced salt application. Several studies show significant reductions in salt use with the introduction of new technologies including pre-wetting. Further, pre-treated material is now offered on the market as a cost-effective alternative that can provide similar results.

6) More organizations are adopting practices that optimize the salt application either by increasing their pre-wetting capacity or using pre-treated salts

(a) % of organizations pre-wetting or using pre-treated salt

(b) % of vehicles equipped for pre-wetting

¹ The % calculated in 2009 is based on the total number of vehicles from all road organizations.When reporting for the national target, the total number of vehicles will exclude organizations not pre-wetting. In addition, the optimal % of vehicles equipped for pre-wetting will be calculated and progress made toward it reported.

(a) 95% of road organizations

(b) 75%¹ of vehicles

• Number using pretreated salt is unknown
• 52% of municipal vehicles equipped for pre-wetting
• 47% of provincial vehicles equipped for pre-wetting with a wide variation between provinces (from 0 to 100%)
• Progress was made in the capacity for pre-wetting between 2007 and 2009: municipal and provincial fleets increased the number of vehicles equipped for pre-wetting by 10%

Salt Vulnerable Areas
Purpose: To improve progress in identifying, monitoring and protecting areas that may be particularly sensitive to road salts.

7) Salt Vulnerable Areas are identified and an action plan is prepared to prioritize areas where best available techniques economically achievable are considered.

• % road organizations where salt vulnerable areas are identified and an action plan is prepared

• Five provinces identified SVAs.
• One third of municipalities identified SVAs.