Brine And Salt On Roads Keeping Ice Away, But At What Cost?
By Kristen Johanson
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - We remember last winter when there was just so much snow. This year, the problem has been patches of black ice. Road crews try to keep up with brining and salting, but does it come at an environmental cost?
It may be having an impact on our freshwater creeks since the salt sprinkled on our roads comes straight from the earth.
"It's similar with any other pollutant, where some organisms are more tolerant than what other ones are," explains Stephanie Figary, the water quality program manager with the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association.
She says road salt can pose a threat to freshwater creatures.
"That ends up impacting the aquatic organisms because they're just not used to having that much salt in the water. These are fresh water organisms, so they really need to have fresh water."
After salt does its job and prevents slippery surfaces, the rain eventually washes it away into lakes and creeks. Though the salt is needed on the streets, Figary says that homeowners can lessen the amount flowing into streams another way:
"A lot of times, you can scrape it off, before it actually sticks, and eliminate the use of salt entirely, if at all possible."
PennDOT used to spray a chemical compound called magnesium chloride, but now uses natural salt to help reduce the harm on the environment while also keeping roads safe in the storm.
