WILMINGTON — The Ausable River Association (AsRA) will distribute a salt use survey this winter to residents, businesses, and independent contractors in Lake Placid. Developed with our partners at the Adirondack Watershed Institute, the survey is essential to determining the amount of salt entering Mirror Lake and the Chubb River. Funded by the Lake Champlain Basin Program through a multi-year technical grant, it’s another piece of our ongoing science-based effort to find a solution to road salt contamination in these waterways.

The salt survey is specific to residents and business in the Chubb River watershed. The watershed encompasses the area surrounding Lake Placid and includes the Village of Lake Placid. Completing the survey will take approximately 5-20 minutes, depending on the size of the area that you care for in your winter maintenance.

“The salt survey is critical to understanding the health of Mirror Lake,” said Kelley Tucker, AsRA’s Executive Director. “The Town of North Elba and the Village of Lake Placid road crews are tracking their usage. Now, we need to understand how much salt is being put down on the sidewalks, driveways, walkways and parking lots by the businesses and residents of Lake Placid.”

To do your part to make the survey a success, please keep receipts for your sand or salt purchases from this winter season. If you use a contractor, ask them to track their usage on your property. Survey questions include what you use to remove snow and ice, for example, a shovel, snow blower, sand, salt, and/or brine etc. We also are trying to gauge the level of service that is desired. For example, is the goal of your winter maintenance to achieve hard compact snow without ice, wet pavement with some residual snow and ice, or completely dry pavement? There are no right or wrong answers in terms of quantities used or goals. Instead, it is essential to get an accurate accounting from all private users of salt.

“The salt survey is a great opportunity to be involved with our science on Mirror Lake,” said Leanna Thalmann, AsRA’s Water Quality Associate. The survey will be released in March and can be accessed through Google forms. The survey can also be provided over the phone, and a print version can be made available by contacting the Ausable River Association.

To learn more about AsRA’s work on Mirror Lake, please visit ausableriver.org. If you have any questions about the survey or wish to receive a survey, email salt@ausableriver.org. AsRA’s Salt Use Reduction Initiative in Lake Placid is funded by the Lake Champlain Basin Program, the North Elba Local Enhancement and Advancement Fund, Adirondack Foundation – Nancy Adams Sweet Family Fund, Adirondack Foundation – Holderied Family Community Fund, the Village of Lake Placid, the Mirror Lake Watershed Association, the Town of North Elba, and many other generous private donors.