To the editor:

While some use of salt is acceptable, I have noted consistent excessive use of salt on campus to melt instead of plow snow. Salt kills plants and trees, as well as pollutes the soil, the ground water and water runoff, and causes premature rusting of cars and other vehicles. Not only that but super excessive mounts are used in places. I found several places on or near the Ag Quad where the salt was half an inch deep a week after all snow had gone and we had a day of rain.

This points toward an inappropriate snow clearance policy, as well as a likely failed implementation of whatever policy might exist leading to environmentally dangerous spreading of salt in really outrageous amounts.

As an aside this also wastes money.

-- Peter J. Davies, professor of plant biology