Saratoga Lake Association Applauds Wilton Highway Superintendent Michael Monroe for Securing State Grant to Protect Water Quality
The Saratoga Lake Association (SLA) today commended Town of Wilton Highway Superintendent Michael Monroe and the Town of Wilton for securing a New York State Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) grant to construct a new, modern salt storage facility, a major investment in protecting water quality in the Saratoga Lake watershed.
Superintendent Monroe has announced that the Town has been awarded $600,000 under the State’s 2025 WQIP program to build the new salt shed. The project is designed to prevent salt and salt-laden runoff from leaching into stormwater systems, streams, groundwater, and ultimately Saratoga Lake. This is the second WQIP grant secured by Monroe for Wilton, bringing the total external funding obtained for water-quality-related infrastructure to approximately $1.5 million.
“Mike Monroe has set the gold standard for municipal highway operations in the Saratoga Lake watershed,” said James DeMasi, President of the Saratoga Lake Association. “This project is not just about improving operations—it is about stopping pollution at its source. Proper salt storage is one of the most effective and practical ways to reduce the long-term chloride loading that threatens our lake and its tributaries.”
A modern, fully enclosed salt storage facility is a cornerstone of best management practices for winter road maintenance. By keeping salt protected from rain and snowmelt and by controlling drainage and material handling, the new Wilton facility will eliminate a major, and often overlooked, pathway by which chlorides enter the environment before they ever reach the roadway.
“This is about doing our job better and more responsibly,” said Superintendent Monroe. “We can keep roads safe for the public and, at the same time, be better stewards of our water resources. This new facility is an important step in that direction.”
This investment complements the broader, forward-looking program already implemented under Monroe’s leadership, including calibrated spreaders across the fleet, the adoption of live-edge plow technology, and the introduction of brine pretreatment to reduce overall salt usage.
“Superintendent Monroe has shown that public safety and environmental stewardship go hand in hand,” DeMasi added. “Wilton is demonstrating what modern, responsible highway management looks like in a sensitive watershed. We strongly encourage other municipalities in the region to follow Wilton’s example.”