The nonprofit group Protect the Adirondacks called on Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday to release the long-stalled Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force report, according to a letter to the governor.

The Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force was organized in 2021 and completed its deliberations for a report by late 2022. The report, which has the non-profit said was drafted months ago, has yet to be released.

The panel was tasked to study the impact of salt and come up with recommendations to reduce it. Similar pilot programs in the Lake George region and on Mirror Lake have been successful.

“It's intolerable that many of the Adirondack Park’s grandest lakes are polluted by road salt. The intolerable shouldn’t be tolerated. The Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task has had enough time. Adirondack communities must not be made to continue to wait another winter and continue to endure salt pollution as usual with no action,” said Peter Bauer, eecutive director of Protect the Adirondacks. “We urge Governor Hochul to demand that the Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task report is finalized and released as soon as possible.”

Across the Adirondacks, it is estimated that 193,000 tons of salt are put down on state and local roads each winter, about 110,000 tons on state roads alone, Protect the Adirondacks said. The state Department of Transportation applies on average over 23 tons of salt per lane kilometer on state roads annually.

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