New York鈥檚 winter road maintenance practices help to keep drivers safe but often rely on the excessive application of road salt, which can contaminate our lakes, rivers, and streams, and impair drinking water supplies. This is a particularly challenging problem in Northern and Central New York and across the Adirondack and Catskill Parks.

We are urging state lawmakers to pass the 鈥淩oad Salt Right to Know Act鈥� (A.11105 Magnarelli / S.10094 Harckham) this year. This legislation would improve winter road maintenance, data collection, and monitoring. Better tracking and transparency are key to reducing unnecessary salt use while maintaining public safety.

When road salt breaks down in lakes and groundwater, it creates chloride contamination, which can persist for decades. Road salt is expensive, costing taxpayers when purchased and causing long-term damage to infrastructure and vehicles. Improved data collection is an important best practice and a critical first step toward reducing road salt and protecting sensitive waterbodies.

This bill is a practical, science-based approach to improving winter road management statewide while keeping drivers safe.

How you can help:

Please email lawmakers by June 4 and urge them to pass A.11105 / S.10094 before this legislative session concludes. In your message, please tell them that:

• 聽You support A.11105 / S.10094 to improve winter road maintenance data collection and monitoring in New York State.
• Better data collection will inform smarter, more efficient winter road management practices.聽
• It is essential that you pass A.11105 / S.10094 before the end of this legislative session.

Thank you for helping protect the Adirondacks for future generations.

– Friday June 5th in Redwood, NY.

– Friday June 5th at the Sedgewick Club on China Pond in Carmel, NY.

– Friday June 26th – Paul Smiths College Visitors Interpretive Center

Columbia-Greene (Upper Hudson) Conference – Wed, August 12th, Sleepy Hollow Lake, Athens, NY

Central New York Regional Conference – Friday, September 11, Little York Pavilion, Dwyer Memorial Park – Preble, NY

Western New York Regional Conference – October, 2026, TBA

New Volunteers! Training is required. In addition to the Lake George session on Saturday May 9th, Nancy and Alene will be holding small, regional sessions across the state. Alene will be in the Lower Hudson/Catskills/Long Island (?), and Nancy will be in Central and Western NY as well as the Indian River Lakes region.

See the preliminary conference program HERE!

Go to our Annual Conference page for more details

July 18th – Equipment blanks, duplicate samples, field blanks, and more! Quality assurance for CSLAP.

August 15th – Harmful Algal Blooms

September 19th – Hear from three lake associations about what CSLAP has meant to them and how they use their data! (White Lake – Sullivan County, Loon Lake – Steuben County, and…still looking for one more volunteer)