Smart Snow and Ice Management for HOAs: Protecting Safety, Property, and the Environment
We all need to do our part to be Winter Salt Smart
As winter sets in, homeowner associations (HOAs) and civic associations face the important task of ensuring residents' safety while maintaining property values and minimizing liability.
A key part of winter maintenance involves managing snow and ice, but this doesn’t just mean clearing sidewalks and roads. It also requires a strategic approach to salt management—one that protects both people and the environment.
HOAs and civic associations can take a number of proactive steps to manage salt use wisely and minimize its negative impact on the environment, infrastructure, and community health.
1. Resident Communications
Community engagement is key to reducing salt use. Organize workshops, distribute newsletters, and/or send flyers to inform member residents about the environmental effects of road salt and promote responsible salting practices. By educating members of your community, you can encourage them to reduce unnecessary salt use on their properties, benefiting both the environment and the community.
2. Create a Salt Use Policy
Write a salt use policy for an HOA or civic association that outlines your community’s guidelines and best practices for the sustainable management of de-icing materials during winter months, including assessment and monitoring guidelines, application practices, resident education, community involvement, and future adaptation. Having this policy helps to protect the environment, while also enhancing property values, cost savings, and long-term sustainability.
3. Review Your Winter Maintenance Contract
Develop a winter maintenance contract that reflects your salt use policy while also maintaining public safety and quality levels of service. There are a number of factors, including costs, equipment calibration, record keeping, and implementation of other salt application practices, that contracts should address to ensure effective salt management and considerations for environmental and infrastructure impacts.
4. Promote Landscaping with Native Plants
Encourage the use of native plants in community landscaping. Native plants are more resilient to salt damage, helping to create a buffer zone around roads and sidewalks. These natural buffers can absorb and mitigate the effects of salt on surrounding vegetation, helping to preserve your community’s greenery and reduce the need for excessive salting.
Additional Resources
To help HOA leaders make informed decisions, there are a number of resources available that provide further information on education and outreach, winter maintenance contracts, and environmental best management practices. These tools can help to create a smarter, more sustainable approach to snow and ice management in your community.
Check out www.wintersaltsmart.com to learn more.
About the Northern Virginia Regional Commission
NVRC is a consortium of thirteen local governments representing more than 2.5 million residents. While only 3% of Virginia's land mass, Northern Virginia has a GDP of $276 Billion which is 41.6% of the GDP of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Northern Virginia’s GDP is larger than 24 states and the District of Columbia and if a country would be the 48th largest economy in the world.