The 2026 Salt Symposium is almost here!!! Early Bird Registration is open until October 15th (next week!).

2026 Salt Symposium

The 2026 Salt Symposium marks an exciting new chapter in one of the nation’s leading forums on chloride reduction, winter maintenance, and freshwater protection. Now hosted by the University of Minnesota Cold Climate Stormwater Center of Excellence (CCSCoE), the Symposium continues its long-standing mission of bringing together researchers, public agencies, industry leaders, educators, and practitioners to advance innovative, science-based solutions for managing salt use in cold climates. Building on more than two decades of collaboration and leadership established by Fortin Consulting, the Freshwater Society, and Bolton & Menk, the 2026 Salt Symposium will expand opportunities for research, training, and cross-sector collaboration focused on protecting infrastructure, water resources, and community safety while designing a lower salt future.

Dates: October 27 – 28, 2026; 8am - 4pm USA CDT

Online only (i.e., virtual)

Program

The program will feature researchers, practitioners, agencies, consultants, educators, and industry professionals giving presentations exploring the environmental, structural, and economic impacts of winter road salt and regional chloride loading, offering actionable solutions across private and public sectors. Presenters will share practical strategies for contractors to implement liquid deicing solutions and pitch cost-saving benefits to property owners. Participants will see a comprehensive online toolkit launching in Fall 2026 to help homeowners and property managers right-size their salt use. Moving from property management to urban forestry and regional science, the sessions will detail a pilot project assessing salt stress on mature city trees, examine comprehensive mass balance and water quality data from a large-scale regional monitoring network, and highlight advanced GIS watershed modeling used by the City of Minneapolis to target and prioritize municipal and private chloride reduction.

Registration

Registration for the 2026 Salt Symposium is now open! Early Bird (before October 15th) registration rates are $199 for professionals and $99 for students for the full 2-day conference. Prices after October 15th will be $249 for professionals and $149 for students for the full 2-day conference. 

Early Bird Pricing ends October 15th!!!

• Dates: October 27 – 28, 2026; 8am - 4pm USA CDT
• Online only (i.e., virtual)
• Conference registration includes FREE Professional Salt training!

Smart Salting Training

In partnership with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, registration for the 2026 Salt Symposium ALSO gives you FREE registration for two optional training workshops!! 

MPCA Smart Salting for Property Management certification training

This training is for managers that hire or oversee winter maintenance contractors or staff and environmental professionals. Attendees learn ways they can make property improvements and encourage winter maintenance crews to reduce salt use to save money by protecting their properties from damage while maintaining safety and protecting our waters. This 4 hour certification training comes with a 3-year individual MPCA Smart Salting level 1 certification if you pass the test at the end of training.

Date: October 29, 2026

Time: 9am-1:30pm CDT

Cost: Free with Salt Symposium Registration! If you prefer to register for one or more smart salting trainings without registering for the Salt Symposium, the fee is $99 for one or $149 for both. Register here if you only want the Smart Salting Training.

MPCA Smart Salting for roads certification training

The MPCA Smart Salting for Roads certification training helps improve operator effectiveness and reduce chloride pollution by providing winter maintenance best practices that keep surfaces safe with less chloride. This training is for city, county & state winter maintenance plow drivers and contractors that plow roads. Attendees will learn how to integrate science with practical winter maintenance for snow removal, material application, salt and snow storage, liquids use and more while minimizing impacts on the environment. Organizations that have attended and implemented smart salting techniques have been able to cut their salt use by 30-70 percent. The 5.5 hour certification training is an online interactive training that comes with a 5-year individual MPCA Smart Salting level 1 certification if you pass the test at the end of training.

Date: November 2, 2026

Time: 8am to 1:30pm CDT

Cost: Free with Salt Symposium Registration! If you prefer to register for one or more smart salting trainings without registering for the Salt Symposium, the fee is $99 for one or $149 for both. Register here if you only want the Smart Salting Training.

Sponsoring the Salt Symposium

We invite organizations and individuals to participate as sponsors of the 2026 Salt Symposium. Sponsorship provides a valuable opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to sustainable winter maintenance practices and environmental stewardship while connecting directly with a highly engaged audience of decision-makers, practitioners, researchers, and industry leaders from across the USA, Canada, and beyond. Sponsor support also helps make the Symposium possible by advancing educational programming, supporting student and practitioner participation, and fostering the collaborative exchange of ideas that drives meaningful progress in salt reduction and water quality protection. This guide provides details on sponsorship tiers and benefits.