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DEC: Sunnyside Brook TMDL approved; agency weighing applicator certification to cut deicing chloride
Summary
Vermont DEC described how road and parking‑lot chloride runoff has impaired Sunnyside Brook, noted EPA approval of a chloride TMDL, and discussed a possible certification program for commercial deicing applicators modeled on New Hampshire’s Green Snow Pro.
Pete Loutham, director of the Watershed Management Division at the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, told a state committee that chloride from road‑salt use accumulates in watersheds and poses a growing threat to aquatic life.
“Chloride is what we call a conservative substance,” Loutham said. “You put chloride on the ground, it's going to stay in the system, and it's going to move through the system.” He explained that unlike nutrients such as phosphorus, chloride does not readily bind to soils or volatilize and therefore can accumulate and cause chronic or acute toxicity to aquatic organisms.
Loutham said the agency targets monitoring in small watersheds with high concentrations of impervious surfaces, and he cited Sunnyside Brook (near I‑89 exit 16, Colchester) as an example where chloride concentrations exceed the state maximums in the water quality standards. That impairment prompted a total maximum daily load (TMDL) — the DEC developed a cleanup plan that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved, Loutham said.
The director described a range of practices to reduce chloride inputs: improved application timing, use of brines, pre‑wetting, equipment maintenance to reduce salt bounce, and municipal coordination. He emphasized the role of commercial applicators and property owners in parking‑lot and sidewalk applications and the liability concerns that sometimes drive over‑application.
Loutham said the DEC is watching the Green Snow Pro model from New Hampshire — a voluntary certification program developed with the University of New Hampshire that trains and certifies commercial applicators in best management practices and pairs certification with limited liability protections. “It’s not a panacea, but it's a huge step in the right direction,” he said, describing potential benefits including lower material costs for applicators and reduced chloride use.
Committee members raised operational questions about equipment maintenance and whether applicator certification would be voluntary or mandatory. Loutham said the Agency of Transportation already uses advanced practices and that certification programs are currently voluntary in peer states; the DEC will continue discussions with AOT, municipalities and stakeholders to design appropriate implementation steps for impaired waters.
The DEC said implementation of chloride reductions will require cooperation across state transportation, municipal public works and the private commercial sector and that some impaired waters may require targeted actions to meet water quality standards.
