During the week of January 27-31, organizations across the U.S. held events to raise awareness about the dangers of and solutions to road salt pollution. The week was a collaboration of government and NGOs across the U.S. and Canada (www.wintersaltweek.org).
An informed public can support the adoption of best practices in snow and ice control and advocate for the protection of freshwater resources.
Each year in the United States, between 20 and 30 million tons of road salt is applied on sidewalks, roadways and parking lots depending on the winter conditions.
While salt keeps our roads safe during icy weather, using more than needed comes at a steep price to our waterways, infrastructure and drinking water. Winter salt runs off the roads and becomes a permanent pollutant in our waterways. Only one teaspoon of road salt permanently pollutes five gallons of water. (Visit www.saltwatch.org).
In addition to a health hazard, road salt is expensive. It corrodes structures and property including bridges, drinking water pipes and vehicles.
This winter, Salt Watch, a volunteer water monitoring program of the Izaak Walton League, has collected more than 3,600 test results so far. Of results submitted, 14 percent were showed salt levels in the poor range (100-230 ppm) while another 14 percent fell into the toxic range (230-plus ppm). A few of the regions with the most elevated chloride levels include Loudoun County and Reston in Virginia, Montgomery County, Maryland, Kansas City, Missouri, Duluth, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio.
On Friday, January 31, the Izaak Walton League of America hosted a public event at its headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland to raise awareness along with partner organizations : Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, Rock Creek Conservancy, Nature Forward, Northern Virginia Regional Commission, Maryland Department of the Environment, WSSC Water and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
At the event, Scott Kovarovics, the executive director for the Izaak Walton League of America, noted that elevated chloride levels have a corrosive effect on the estimated 10 million lead drinking water lines serving American homes, schools and businesses. “There is no safe level of lead consumption for any person—not just children—anyone.”
“And for people on low or no sodium diets, few if any, think about drinking water as a source of sodium."
Although a rainy day, the League’s Salt Watch Coordinator, Abby Hileman, took the Friday attendees out to test chloride levels in Muddy Branch—a local waterway that drains into the Potomac River. During thaw or rain events in the winter, rain and ice/snow melt often washes salt into local waterways where monitors often see spikes in chloride levels that are toxic to freshwater aquatic life.
Data compiled by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin shows a 10-fold increase in chloride (a chemical released from the breakdown of winter salt) in the Potomac River at Great Falls over the past 80 years. Twenty-eight streams in Maryland are considered impaired by chloride.
Highlights from Winter Salt Awareness Week
A series of webinars and events were held during the week. Among them, Dr. Jess Hua discussed the fact that “sublethal” concentrations of salt can still be harmful to wildlife. Ted Diers of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Cara Hardesty of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Bryan Gruidl from Bloomington, Minnesota, spoke about policy solutions that have been enacted to address various facets of the salt pollution problem. Friday was a “Local Salt Monitoring” day with at least 16 events in seven states (Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin).
Press Contacts
Michael Reinemer, Communications Director, Izaak Walton League, mreinemer@iwla.org; 301-548-0150 ext 220.
Abby Hileman, Salt Watch Coordinator, Izaak Walton League, ahileman@iwla.org
Founded in 1922, the Izaak Walton League fights for clean air and water, healthy fish and wildlife habitat and conservation of our natural resources for future generations. The League plays a unique role in supporting community-based science and local conservation and has a long legacy of shaping sound national policy. See www.iwla.org.