Right now, there is a lake in Vilas County that has no snow on it.
Researchers based out of UW-Trout Lake Station in Boulder Junction use shovels, snowblower, and plows to keep it clear all winter long, leaving the thick ice exposed.
It’s the second year of field work for the study that is looking at the impact of what no snow or ice cover could mean for the health of lakes in the Northwoods. WXPR first told you about study last winter on The Stream.
Credit Katie Thoresen/WXPR
“This year we actually had freeze up. You might recall that the lakes this year froze really nicely before it started snowing,” said Hilary Dugan, an assistant professor at UW-Madison’s Center for Limnology. “We got this really nice black ice so the conditions this even better for our experiment than the conditions last year.”
Residents encouraged to learn about the impact of road salt from free programs
(Waukesha, WI) – Waukesha County Parks and Land Use invites residents to tune in daily during the WI Salt Wise Partnership’s “Wisconsin Salt Awareness Week” to learn how road salt affects our drinking water, pets, freshwater ecosystems, and more. The expert-led series of talks will be livestreamed on YouTube from Monday, January 11 to Friday, January 15, 2021.
“Waukesha County through our sustainability efforts, is committed to managing salt use on our roadways to reduce water quality impacts while providing safe winter driving conditions” said Waukesha County Executive
Paul Farrow. “These talks are a great opportunity for businesses and homeowners to learn how they can join us in using the right amount of salt to help keep our waters safe.”
In it s proper place, salt can be a vital element. But the problems arise when it s overused and it gets into areas it shouldn t be - contaminating the environment. Living in this part of the country, salt-use is a winter-time essential to help keep our roadways passable when snow and ice accumulate; however, those same over-use and contamination concerns come into play.
To raise awareness of the issue, the Wisconsin Salt Wise Partnership is holding a variety of livestreamed events tied to Wisconsin Salt Awareness Week , January 11 through January 15. The general public is invited to tune in to the livestreams each day for salt-related information provided by a variety of experts. Each of the presentations aims to share the true cost of salt as it relates to over-use, contamination, and the environment.