In an ongoing effort to safeguard our waterways, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) has announced the continuation of its pilot street-sweeping program, Sweep the Salt. This initiative focuses on removing excess road salt from roadways adjacent to sensitive watershed areas, especially following winter storms. Using street sweepers, the program effectively collects road salt and debris, preventing contamination of local water resources. 

The County's overall commitment to environmental stewardship will be highlighted at the upcoming World Water Day celebration on Saturday, March 22 in Wheaton.  

MCDOT regularly performs road salt cleanups by request and provides County-wide neighborhood street sweeping in the spring. The new pilot program performs additional street sweeping following substantial winter storms when larger amounts of salt are used.    

MCDOT encourages residents to call 3-1-1 within the County or 240-777-0311 for questions and requests to address excessive salt left on the street. The call center will direct calls to MCDOT for County roads, the Maryland Department of Transportation for state roads, the County Department of General Services for County buildings such as public libraries or Montgomery County Public Schools for their properties.    

“Road salt is essential to keeping our roadways safe during winter events,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “But it is important for public health that we work to reduce the amount of road salt that flows into local waterways. Once the salt is in our water it is nearly impossible to remove. Salt is also highly corrosive to our roadways and bridges, as well as the vehicles that travel over them. I encourage all residents and business owners to join our efforts to “sweep the salt.”     

The Sweep the Salt effort had a substantial impact, with MCDOT reporting that the pilot collected nearly 50 tons—or 100,000 pounds—of road salt and debris from sensitive watershed areas within just two weeks after the last winter storm in February. The post-winter-storm cleanup targets Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)-designated Special Protection Areas, which are represented by the purple-colored areas on the MCDOT Division of Highway Services street sweeping map.  

“We are sweeping major thoroughfares in the designated sensitive watershed areas to reduce unneeded salt remaining on the roads that would otherwise impact water quality in nearby streams,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin. “Based on positive community feedback and initial results, we plan to continue the pilot program next year.”   

Montgomery County is home to more than 1,500 miles of streams that provide habitat for diverse aquatic life and wildlife. A healthy stream provides recreational and aesthetic benefits for residents, contributes to clean drinking water and protects the Chesapeake Bay. The pilot is a part of a larger effort by the County to increase awareness of the environmental and water quality impacts caused by excessive salt application during snow and ice events. The DEP 2025 SaltWise campaign offers residents resources and information for keeping walkways clear during snowstorms while reducing the use of road salt.   

“It is important that we do all we can collectively to preserve our ecosystem,” said DEP Director Jon Monger. “It only takes one teaspoon of salt to permanently contaminate five gallons of water. Because of the cumulative effects of salt runoff, we have seen salt levels increase by 41% in the Potomac River and 102%t in the Patuxent River in the last 30 years. High levels of salt in our streams can damage ecosystems, harm our wildlife and destroy natural vegetation. Elevated salt levels in our drinking water can cause health issues.”  

For information on MCDOT programs and services, visit montgomerycountymd.gov/mcdot, follow @MCDOTNow on X, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and subscribe to MCDOT’s “Go Montgomery!” newsletter.     

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