Salt management in Alberta Highway Maintenance Yards.

Alberta has recently revised the standards to which highway maintenance yards are managed, particularly with respect to salt and other ice control chemicals. The intent is to bring the management of the yards in closer accord with the requirements of Alberta Environment and Environment Canada. The new standard calls for the provision of covered storage for salt and freeze proofed sand. It also calls for the management of runoff water that is likely to have come in contact with chlorides. Highway maintenance contractors are responsible for coming up with an environmental management plan that addresses the environmental management of salt, other ice control chemicals and other highway maintenance materials. Working in partnership with Alberta Infrastructure and Infrastructure, the standards and guidelines are being developed to achieve a very high level of control of potential environmentally detrimental materials, and to meet the requirements for mitigating impacts as identified in the legislation and codes of practice. For the covering abstract of the conference see ITRD number E211521.