2014 Arkansas Water Plan Overview

Nonpoint Source Management Priorities

Water quality concerns for this watershed include excessive mineral content - chlorides, sulfates and other dissolved minerals - from open-pit bauxite mining activities in the Hurricane Creek subwatershed, and dissolved oxygen issues affecting aquatic life in Big Creek. A fish consumption advisory has also been placed on much of the lower Saline River because of the presence of mercury. An 83-mile segment of Hurricane Creek is unable to be used for drinking water and this use was removed for this section sometime in the last decade.

The state considers the Middle Fork and other headwaters of the Saline River as Extraordinary Resource Waters and Ecologically Sensitive Waters because of their scenic beauty and the habitat the waterways provide various species. 

The Nature Conservancy has been very active in this watershed. In 2007, Cooper Communities donated 123 acres along the Middle Fork in Hot Springs Village to the Nature Conservancy near land managed by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission. The Conservancy also conducted an extensive study of the waterway and worked with several state agencies and organizations to restore a 2,600-foot streambank along the Middle Fork that dumped about 140 full dump truck loads worth of sediment each year into the waterway. 

Although spreading a little salt can be an easy way to prevent ice during bad weather or to encourage faster melting, salt can quickly accumulate and enter our streams, rivers and lakes when snow melts. High salt levels can harm or kill aquatic life, and damage vegetation and soil, leading to erosion problems. 

When bad weather is in your forecast, keep in mind these smart salt basics to avoid over doing the salt: 

Shovel first. The more snow you remove yourself, the less salt you have to use and the more effective it can be.

More salt does not mean more melting. The Institute on Snow Research recommends using 0.08 of an ounce of salt per square foot, so multiply your square footage by 0.08 and use only that amount. 

An average parking space is about 150 square feet, which would use the equivalent of a 12-ounce coffee mug. 

Be patient. Salt takes time to work. Applying more will lead to unnecessary contamination.  

15 degrees is too cold for salt. Most salts stop working at this degree. Use sand instead for traction (but note that sand or another product such as cat litter does not melt ice). 

Sweep up leftover salt. If salt or sand is visible on dry pavement, it is no longer doing anything to get rid of ice. Sweep it up before it can be washed away.

Consider a de-icer alternative. Use something other than salt to get rid of ice. Here are some possible alternatives, depending on your budget and availability:

Calcium Chloride
Works to: Minus 25 degrees
Advantages: Produces heat as it melts; less harmful to vegetation
Disadvantages: Corrosive to metal; leaves residue harmful to carpet, tile, shoes; attracts moisture from the air

Magnesium Chloride
Works to: Minus 13 degrees
Advantages: Attracts moisture from the air
Disadvantages: Keeps pavement wet if it attracts too much moisture from air; corrosive to metal
 

Potassium Acetate
Works to: Minus 75 degrees
Advantages: Safer than salt for steel structures; performs very well; noncorrosive, biodegradable
Disadvantages: Could cause slickness on pavement; lowers oxygen levels in bodies of water
 

Calcium Magnesium Acetate
Works to: 25 degrees
Advantages: Won't harm environment if used sparingly; biodegradable
Disadvantages: Subject to dilution and refreezing; could cause slickness on pavement; expensive

Regardless of what material you use, remember to store it in a dry, covered area away from wet weather.

Did you know? 

Arkansas' highway department has started using beet juice in its salt brine as a way to increase the de-icer's effectiveness in temperatures below 15 degrees and to reduce the amount of salt applied to roadways.

Sources: University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Northwest Arkansas Stormwater Education program, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency