Laserfiche WebLink
Technical Report Documentation Page <br />1. ReportNo. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. <br />CDOT-DTD-R-99-10 <br />4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date <br /> <br />STUDIES OF ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE November 1999 <br />DEICER IN COLORADO 6. Performing Organization Code <br />7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. <br />William M. Lewis, Jr. <br />9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) <br />Western Environmental Analysts <br />2525 Arapahoe, Suite E4-282 <br />Boulder, CO 80302 11. Contract or Grant No. <br />12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered <br />Colorado Department of Transportation <br />4201 East Arkansas Avenue Final Report, 3 years <br />Denver, Colorado 80222 14. Sponsoring Agency Code <br />15. Supplementary Notes <br />Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration <br />16. Abstract <br />The overall conclusion of the study is that application of magnesium chloride deicer having a chemical composition and application <br />rate similar to those of 199%98 is highly unlikely to cause or contribute to environmental damage at distances greater than 20 yards <br />from the roadway. Even very close to the roadway, the potential of magnesium chloride deicer to cause environmental damage is <br />probably much smaller than that of other factors related to road use and maintenance, including pollution of highway surfaces by <br />vehicles and use of salt and sand mixtures to promote traction in winter. Magnesium chloride deicer may offer net environmental <br />benefits if its use leads to a reduction in the quantity of salt and sand applied to roadways. The environmental safety of magnesium <br />chloride deicer depends, however, on low concentrations of contaminants and avoidance of rust inhibitors containing phosphorus. <br />Appropriate specifications for vendors and routine testing can insure the continued environmental acceptability of magnesium <br />chloride deicers. <br />Implementation <br />Deicers provided by vendors should be monitored independently by CDOT for chemical characteristics. Any significant changes in <br />processing or source material should be disclosed by the vendor. Colorado-based specifications should be developed for vendors. <br />Independent specifications for low elevation could be developed, or the more stringent high elevation specifications can be applied to <br />all purchases. <br /> <br />17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement <br />winter maintenance, deicing, corrosion inhibitors, aquatic life No restriction. This document is available to the public through: <br /> National Technical Information Service <br /> 5825 Port Royal Road <br /> Springfield, Virginia <br /> <br />19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price <br />None None 101 <br /> <br /> <br />