Senate approves study to evaluate alternatives to road rock salt, backers cite environmental concerns
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Summary
Senate Bill 482 will direct VDOT to study de-icing and pretreatment alternatives to rock salt, including nonchemical options; sponsor cited research linking de-icers to sodium in the Occoquan Reservoir and the bill passed 39–1.
Senate Bill 482, which directs the Virginia Department of Transportation to evaluate the impacts and alternatives to rock salt for roadway pretreatment, passed the Senate by a vote of 39–1 on Feb. 10.
The senator from Western Prince William described the bill as a study to measure the impact of current pretreatment substances on infrastructure, the environment and personal property, and to compare those impacts with potential alternatives—including nonchemical substances and new technologies—while assessing costs and potential savings. He cited a January study noting a strong spatial and temporal correlation between sodium levels in tributaries to the Occoquan Reservoir and the application of de-icers during winter weather.
The senator from Virginia Beach asked whether the study would look at alternatives such as beet juice; the sponsor confirmed the bill's language deliberately cast a wide net to allow VDOT to evaluate a variety of alternatives rather than enumerating every possible product in statute.
Sponsor remarks emphasized environmental benefits for fisheries and water quality as motivating the study. The bill passed overwhelmingly, 39–1, as recorded in the transcript.