The following is mainly the results of a study conducted by Ken W.F. Howard, Joe I. Boyce, Steve J. Livingston, Sean Salvatori, and the Groundwater Research Group at the University of Toronto, Canada from GSA TODAY in 1993.
The sound of cinder trucks dispersing road de-icing agents is ever present in the snow-belt regions of the United States, Canada, and Europe. Vast amounts of salt are poured onto frozen, snow-covered roads and major highways every winter. Everyday tasks cannot halt everytime there is a major snow or ice storm. The amount of snowfall and harsh weather is proportional to how much road salt is applied to an area. Naturally, these populations which are farther north receive a greater amount of salt.
Specifically, the Toronto Metropolitan area of southern Ontario, Canada, was extensively studied by a team of researchers from the University of Toronto. The intent was to monitor the effects of sodium chloride on the ground water quality. Models were constructed to track these contaminants. This study, along with several others, gives reason to believe that road salt poses a threat to its immediate site of dispersal. Future predictions do not look very promising; problems in drinking water quality will get worse before they get better.
For many years, it was believed that the addition of salt to roads would not pose a problem to the quality of drinking water. There have been many accounts of environmental damage due to sodium chloride, but these are apparent effects like vehicle corrosion, dying plants, and disintegration of concrete. There was a common misconception that most of the road salt is carried away through overland flow to lakes and streams within a few months or weeks of application. Paine (1979), later supported by Joy (1979), were the first to suggest the serious problems road salting could cause in the Toronto area of southern Ontario. The Toronto study has revealed that only 45% of this salt flows away on the surface, and the remaining portion is absorbed in the shallow aquifers below the surface. Frightening predictions indicate that with the continued yearly output of road salts, chloride and sodium concentrations in ground waters will well exceed their safe levels.
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-For more information, contact Dominick De Fazio at: dd002c@uhura.cc.rochester.edu