The Study of Environmental Impacts of Salting Urban Streets (Case Study of Karaj)

In this study, the first step the amount of sands and de-icing salts consumed in Karaj passageways, was investigate according to collected data from the Karaj municipal waste management organization. Investigations show that, the amount of 18810 tons of de-icing salts and sand was consumed to de-icing roadways for the period 2015 to 2017. De-icing roadways is done in two ways: manual (83%) and automated (17%), that nonconformity of sand and deicing salts standard ratio and hand salting method have cause many environmental impacts in the Karaj city. Therefore, in this study, the adverse effects of de-icing salting on the roads such as the impact on plants, urban infrastructure (asphalt, curbs, etc.), groundwater and surface water, soil and crops, air pollution, disturbance to citizens and subsequently, strategies for reducing the adverse effects are considered in Karaj city by library studies and searching for related resources on the internet. In fact, de-icing salt spraying to deflate the passageways is considered the latest executive option in advanced countries. Also, urban authorities are trying to minimize the negative impacts of salt spillage, by gradually removing of sodium salt (NaCl) and using new methods such as educating citizens to deal with ice conditions, correct use of anti-icing materials (CaMg4 (COO3CH)), install hot water pipes in pedestrians, drawing a protective silicone layer on pavement. Although these methods are more costeffective, but in the long time, its costs will be negligible compared to the costs of environmental degradation by salt.