During a week of subzero temperatures in mid-January, students began to notice less green-tinted ice melting salt than usual coating the sidewalks of Wheaton College’s campus. Hoping to prioritize sustainable practices on campus, the facilities department decided to try using less salt while also experimenting with melting products other than salt, including a liquid formula, this winter. Jay Bieszke, director of facilities, alerted the campus community of the change by email in December.
“This decision is rooted in our dedication to reducing the environmental impact associated with salt usage while ensuring the safety of our community,” said Bieszke in the email.
Andrew Luhmann, associate professor of geology, has researched water resources and chemistry of near-earth surfaces. He said the use of salt to alleviate icy hazards comes with more cons than pros.
Salt, Luhmann said, is called a “conservative tracer” in the science field, meaning that once it enters into a water system, the salt will stay there, unlike “relative tracers,” which decay with time and eventually leave the water system. Entry Liquid Ice Melt, which the facilities staff is now using, is made up of potassium formate (a potassium salt), and water, as opposed to the sodium chloride usually used for de-icing.
“It’s a cool move by the facilities staff to take this seriously and care well for the created world,” said Luhmann of the change.
Hanna Miller, watershed project manager at the Conservation Foundation, said she’s seen a trend of more municipalities, organizations and businesses adjusting their salt practices. She affirmed the college’s decision to do the same, calling it a contribution to better water quality in the area.
“It can take a long time for chloride concentrations to come back down during the spring (when our aquatic life is most susceptible to the impacts from chlorides) due to salt that makes its way into the curb line or storm drains and is washed into our waterways from snow melt or during spring rains,” she said in an email to the Record.
As temperatures in Wheaton dropped to the negatives with wind chills up to -33˚ F, the college set up a temporary shuttle service on January 16, transporting students between the Michigan/Crescent and Terrace apartments and campus, as well as from Fischer Hall to Blanchard Hall. During the rest of the week, some students said the pathways on campus were difficult to navigate, due to the ice, and took to the unofficial Instagram account @forumwallwheaton2.0 to say so.
According to one post on Jan. 24, an anonymous student said that the lack of salt didn’t seem worth the potential injuries, and implied there had already been several student injuries.
On Fizz, a localized social media app which is also anonymous, one student posted that they slipped and fell on the ice and had to call an ambulance to go to the hospital, as the slip resulted in a snapped ankle. Other posts included memes commenting on how they felt the college prioritized “keeping grass safe by not salting” above “keeping students safe by salting roads.”
Student Health Services said that five students have reported injuries from the ice, but Public Safety said they had no record of anyone going to the hospital by ambulance for slips on the ice. The Wheaton Fire Department was unavailable for comment on recent ambulance dispatches for such an incident.
There were similar expressions on the Wheaton College, IL Parents page on Facebook, a private, unofficial group with over 1,200 members. Some parents complained there that the college, by using less salt, is endangering students’ health.
“The grounds department has chosen grass over students,” wrote one parent. “From a theological standpoint, your student is created in the image of God. The grass and plants were not.”
Julia Morrow, a senior philosophy and theology major, slipped outside of Blanchard Hall, injuring her tailbone, the week of the snowstorm.
“I was coming out of Blanchard talking to my sister on the phone, and I slipped on a huge patch of ice,” said Morrow. “I’ve had to miss a couple classes and have been laying really low. I visited SHS about it and they told me it takes me a couple weeks to completely heal.”
Bieszke told the Record that he aims to consider long term effects of the college’s approach to ice management as well as research creative ways to lessen their salt usage.
“As we approach safety, we also keep an eye on our stewardship responsibilities, including taking care of the grounds and caring for what the Lord has entrusted us with,” he said.
