About Zachary Matson

Zachary Matson has been an environmental reporter for the Explorer since October 2021. He is focused on the many issues impacting water and the people, plants and wildlife that rely on it in the Adirondack Park. Zach worked at daily newspapers in Missouri, Arizona and New York for nearly a decade, most recently working as the education reporter for six years at the Daily Gazette in Schenectady.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brad Smith says

    What are the Towns not State, going to do when people who own properties adjacent to the Town roads end up with salt in those peoples wells?

  2. Anthony B says

    This article was very informative. Good to see communities are adapting as they learn more about environmental impacts.

  3. Todd Miller says

    It would be helpful to have explanations what is brine, how it is made, and what are the advantages and disadvantages using brine vs rock salt or sand mixed with a little rock salt. The question that popped in my mind to those who propose doing away with using any sand at all (which actually is usually mostly sand mixed with a little salt) is, will one have to use more brine or salt to offset the no use of sand? Wasn’t the purpose of using sand to reduce the amount of salt needed? What is lacking in his article are the actual numbers of the amounts of Na and Cl currently used and the amount used in these new practices. How much reduction in Na and Cl is actually being saved by these new practices, if any? Also, sand is not added to salt because for abrasive purposes, it is to add friction.

  4. Tim F. says

    Good Morning all,
    To answer your question Brad, this program is designed to use less chlorides (Salt) and to create better road conditions for safer roadways. It is a preventative or a standard practice on reducing the amount of salt that is being used already. We have been doing this for 7 years in the Town of Hague and are already seeing reductions in chloride levels along brooks and stream beds that feed Lake George because of following these practices.
    And to answer Dana’s reply, we are piloting these practices to become a common standard or a “norm” for all departments State, Town and County.
    We do ask you to please keep asking questions, there are no bad questions. And I am sure we all will be more than happy to answer them you for.
    Tim

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