One teaspoon of salt pollutes five gallons of water.”

Groundwater Protection Unit Supervisor Valerie Neppl

Salting sidewalks, parking lots, roads and driveways is a winter ritual that helps keep ice and snow at bay and allows cars and pedestrians safe passage. Long after the winter snow has melted, however, the downstream effects of that salt are cause for concern.
It was this issue that the County Board of Commissioners discussed on Tuesday, Feb. 18 when they unanimously authorized implementation of the Dakota County Chloride Reduction Program. Groundwater Protection Unit Supervisor Valerie Neppl presented before the board on the effects of over-salting.
“One teaspoon of salt pollutes five gallons of water,” said Neppl, citing Low Salt, No Salt Minnesota, a program aimed at reducing “Chloride-based deicer use and its associated damages through relationships with local properties managed by resident boards,” according to the Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District website.
The proliferation of Chloride use in the winter is toxic to freshwater fish and other aquatic life. Not only does it impact bodies of water and the wildlife in them but it then makes its way into groundwater which can damage wells and pipes and pollute the drinking water that flows through them. According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) an estimated 445,000 tons of salt is scattered in Minnesota each year which is washed away into rivers, lakes and streams.
“Chloride from de-icing salt is one of the largest contributors to a growing salty water problem in Minnesota and is one of two pollutants that continue to accumulate over time with no practical mechanism for removal in the environment,” said the MPCA website.
Low Salt, No Salt Minnesota works to partner with cities, townships, watershed districts and other stakeholders to reduce the amount of salt that is spread. For example, below 15 degrees, salt no longer works and should not be spread. In addition, over-salting is a common problem for individuals, all the way to cities and the state.
“People often think using more salt means more melting and safer conditions, but this is not true,” said the MPCA website.
Twelve ounces of salt, roughly the volume of a coffee mug, can treat 1,000 square feet, the size of a 20-foot driveway or 10 sidewalk squares. Low Salt, No Salt Minnesota recommends 3 inches between each grain of salt.
The difficulty in reducing the use of salt is that alternatives are lacking. Currently Low Salt No Salt Minnesota does not recommend any alternatives like sand or a salt/sand blend. Instead, the program encourages proper application of salt and an overall reduction in use. Despite that, “the goal is safety first,” said Neppl.

Communities for a Lifetime
The county board also heard from Public Health Program Manager Jess Luce about an update on the Communities for a Lifetime initiative. Communities for a Lifetime is a community planning framework that works to help communities plan for the needs of older residents.
In Dakota County, whose population over 60 has been steadily growing for the last decade and beyond, this planning is a key issue. While the growth of Dakota County’s population over 60 has slowed in recent years, it is still growing, up 2.5% in 2023 alone.
According to the US Census Bureau, in 2024 16.5% of the population of Dakota County was over 65.
Based on Dakota County’s internal population and demographics data, in 2022, for the first time, the population of Dakota County residents over 60 broke 100,000. In 2023, the most recent data available, the population of Dakota County residents who are over 60 was 102,937 up from 69,915 just a decade before.
Given these population trends, designing communities for an aging population makes sense. Beyond that forward planning, many of the changes that make a community more friendly for senior citizens have benefits across ages. Higher-density walkable neighborhoods with transit options, green spaces and opportunities for exercise and community engagement don’t just benefit senior citizens even if the changes are made for them.
One specific example provided by Luce was that of curb cuts. Curb cuts are not only good for the elderly, but benefit parents pushing strollers, bikers, and those in wheelchairs. The cascading effects of a change made for an older population can benefit all residents.
One of the ongoing initiatives from Communities for a Lifetime is the Fall Prevention Project. “Falls are becoming an increasing issue with demographic changes,” said Luce.
The Fall Prevention Project was piloted in 2020 in partnership with South Metro Fire in West St. Paul and South St. Paul. The goal of the project was to “reduce the number of lift assists by connecting frequent fallers with resources and supports,” according to Luce.
In 2023 the program expanded to the Burnsville and Eagan fire departments; from August to December in 2024, the program had 61 referrals, and 39 clients were contacted with resources for home modification, cleaning, transportation and housing transition, if necessary.
Other programs within the Communities for a Lifetime initiative are rideshare training for older adults and the creation of an action plan for making West St. Paul more age friendly. In 2025 the initiative has plans for establishing solo groups for older adults that don’t have family members to support them, the distribution of physical resources for adults 55+ who might not be online, and expanding visiting kits for dementia awareness across languages and to include culturally relevant materials.