Wong, C; Fox, J; Stack, B. 2020. MS4 Survey of Best Practices for Winter Maintenance Implemented in Maryland. September Watershed Science Bulletin. Center for Watershed Protection, Ellicott City, MD.

MS4, Chloride, salt, winter, maintenance

Sodium chloride is a growing pollutant of concern in waterbodies throughout the United States. As chloride continues to impair waterbodies, regulations to reduce the use of sodium chloride for road deicing will increase. The Center for Watershed Protection, Inc. (the Center) conducted a literature review and survey on best practices for winter maintenance to determine the most prevalent salt-reduction strategies and the amount of implementation in Maryland Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) communities. The literature review included a compilation of the latest information on salt-reduction practices around the country, and the Center used the findings from the literature review to develop the survey. With response rate of 37%, the survey results were able to capture a sample of best management practice implementation in Maryland’s Phase I and Phase II communities. Some of the common concerns with salt-reduction practices are cost, manpower, education, and training. There is also a disconnect between the stormwater managers and the winter maintenance team, indicating a need for improved management and, potentially, implementation of automated data collection systems. This study highlights the tremendous opportunity for salt reduction in Maryland MS4 communities that can improve water quality without sacrificing public safety. Although contractor and private applicators are a large contributor to salt use, the scope of the survey was limited to understanding the baseline winter