Road salt use during Chicago winters has dropped with climate change, but city remains mindful of usage
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The City of Chicago goes to great lengths to keep its roads safe and clear during the winter—but how it is done has changed with the changing weather.
Records show that the city's salt usage has dropped over the years. Last year, the city used less salt than at any point in the last 10 years.
Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation crews prepare for winter 11 months of the year.
"In Chicago weather, you never know what's going to happen," said Department of Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Cole Stallard.
Stallard has seen more than 20 Chicago winters on the job. That means a firsthand look at how the winters have changed.
"We're here," Stallard said. "We're seeing change happening. We're seeing weather changing."
With a changing climate, experts say extreme weather changes are to be expected moving forward.
The amount of salt the city has used over the years tells the same changing story. In the winter of 2020-2021, the city used a total of 322,000 tons of salt, while during winter 2023-2024, only 119,500 tons were used.
Meanwhile, while salt use has dropped, being mindful about usage is still top-of-mind in Chicago and across Illinois. Too much road salt in waterways can contaminate drinking water, kill or endanger wildlife, increase soil erosion, and damage property, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning echoes the call for less salt—or being smarter about use, while the Salt Smart Collaborative offers tips and resources for everyone on how to salt responsibly.
"We are mindful of that," said Stallard. "We'll on what we call the air—the radio—and say, 'Make sure you adjust your spread.'"
CBS News Chicago also got a close look at one of the alternatives being used on our roads right now-beet juice.
"We actually make it ourselves," said Stallard.
Beet juice is not a replacement for salt—it is primarily used only at the beginning and end of winter. But Stallard said it is making a difference.
"You don't want to step in it," said Stallard. "You don't want to bring it into your car, because it doesn't smell the greatest."
The trucks that spread beet juice focus on bridges, overpasses, and DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
Chicago has more than 400,000 tons of salt on hand right now.
