Via TheStar:

There has been a 15% reduction in the use of salt to de-ice roads in Toronto over the past five years. No, they are not just trying to save money, they are trying to reduce the impact of the tons of salt that are poured on to the streets in the winter months.

If it looks as if there isn’t as much salt on Toronto’s roads and sidewalks as there used to be, it is a sign of the environmentally conscious times.

The city has reduced the salt it pours onto streets by about 15 per cent over the last few years, due to its “salt management plan,” and some technological innovations that allow it to be more precisely targeted.

Technology is helping them with this task:

Until recently, the driver of a salt truck would decide how much salt to spread, and where, he said. But the trucks are now outfitted with a computer program that automatically spreads the right amount of salt according to conditions, said Noehammer.

Many trucks are also equipped with tanks that contain a brine made from salt and water, which is more effective in freeze-and-thaw conditions than rock salt, and also requires smaller amounts, while others spread salt that has been coated in a chloride-based solution that makes the salt stick to the icy road, instead of bouncing when it hits the pavement.