The problem with sidewalk saltWhen salt is applied to roads and sidewalks as a deicing agent, as snow melts, salt gets washed into streams, lakes, and wetlands. Fortunately, some municipalities, including the Lake George area in upstate New York, are advocating for more responsible salt usage. The Lake George Road Salt Reduction Initiative was created in 2014 after scientists discovered that chloride levels in Lake George tripled over the last 40 years—and road salt was primarily to blame. In Mirror Lake and Lake Placid specifically, those concentrations were due in large part to sidewalk and parking lot over-salting. Don’t make up for laziness with salt, Wiltse advises.