Monday, February 25, 2008

Good Thing We’re Almost Out of Salt

Then again, maybe we can introduce salt water fish to Lake Michigan. 

In metropolitan Milwaukee, road salt, or sodium chloride, and other melting agents wash into urban streams at levels that potentially kill fish and other aquatic life until it passes.

Last year, a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey found that water quality at seven of 12 streams in metropolitan Milwaukee showed signs of acute toxicity on fathead minnows and a type of water flea after two storms on Feb. 26 and March 7. Scientist Steve Corsi said the findings of chloride concentrations exceeded the EPA’s toxic standard of 850 parts per million on the Kinnickinnic, Menomonee and Root rivers and on Honey, Underwood, Lincoln and Little Menomonee creeks.

On Feb. 26, 2007, at Honey Creek in Wauwatosa, chloride levels essentially became saline water for a few hours, hitting 6,470 parts per million.

By contrast, Corsi used Parnell Creek in the Kettle Moraine State Forest as a control stream. It was not affected by road salt and registered 20.4 parts per million, he found.

(8) Comments
Posted by Owen at 0743 hrs


  1. Thankfully global warming will be upon us soon, right?

    Is there some alternative to using salt? I would assume that chemical melters are probably worse for aquatic wildlife, yes?

    Posted by Matt on February 25, 2008 at 1021 hrs


  2. Having grown up here and returned after 20 years I wondered what effect all this salt had on our waterways.  Pretty bad it now seems.

    I don’t remember any side streets being salted back in the 60’s.  Now my community salts every street even after a dusting of snow. Even if it’s going to melt when the sun comes up.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 25, 2008 at 1031 hrs


  3. There’s a good article in today’s Wall Street Journal about the search for a less-toxic replacement for road salt. Here.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 25, 2008 at 1046 hrs


  4. There was a segment on 60 Minutes last night about the sugar beet/salt ice melting solution, as well, because it seems there’s a big salt shortage, causing the price of salt of go way up this year, straining many governments’ already stretched budgets.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 25, 2008 at 1138 hrs


  5. Now my community salts every street even after a dusting of snow. Even if it’s going to melt when the sun comes up.

    Ah yes… 1/4 of snow 1/2 inch of salt. 

    I’ve wondered about this.  It seems to me that given our relatively light snowfall winters of the past decade that whenever we start to get snow the road crews and such can’t WAIT to get the salt trucks out en masse.

    It makes me wonder if the city departments are eager to justify their existence and want to get their guys their overtime and make sure to use their budgets up.  I mean after all it seems that failure to use up your budget is a high crime in goverment circles.

    Maybe next year they’ll be a bit more judicious in salting practices.

    I’ve actually observed on multiple occasions especially in december when driving out on the interstate on dry road where the wind and temp was enough to blow the snow off the road, but then a salt truck gets out there and starts dropping salt and suddenly you have a wet road that all the snow sticks to actually reducing traction compared to the road before it was salted.

    Again, I hope next year they are a bit more judicious

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 25, 2008 at 1257 hrs


  6. Move some of that salt into my alley. Seriously. If they want their overtime and whatnot, how about clearing my alley?

    Posted by Matt on February 25, 2008 at 1414 hrs


  7. Will the salt not evaporate faster than the water in fresh water bodies? If not, then this report is quite alarming given the fact that we may run out of fresh water if this continues.

    Posted by Ajit on February 26, 2008 at 0606 hrs


  8. If that water wasn’t moving, it might be a concern.  So, it’s a good thing that those rivers and creeks keep flowing into a very large body of water called Lake Michigan where the salt is diluted into a non-problem! Just wait until the April showers come and then test again.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 26, 2008 at 1908 hrs


Commenting is not available in this channel entry.