Hold The Salt: Effects Of Road Salt On Freshwater Systems In The Delaware River Basin
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2024
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Bi-College (Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges). Department of Environmental Studies
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Thesis
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Award
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eng
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Abstract
Road salt has been effectively used to combat icy roads in the United States for nearly 100 years, causing an 85% reduction in vehicular accidents (Godwin, Hafner, and Buff 2003; Hintz, Fay, and Relyea 2022; Kuemmel and Hanbali 1992; Mullaney et al. 2009; Usman, Fu, and Miranda-Moreno 2010). As urbanization has increased, road salt use has skyrocketed, with application tripling in just the last half century (Dugan 2017; Hintz et al. 2022; Kaushal et al. 2005). The environmental consequences of NaCl on freshwater ecosystems has become increasingly apparent in recent years. Elevated salinity levels have been found to have an enormous impact on organisms that rely on freshwater bodies, especially those of lower trophic levels, which has a ripple effect across the whole ecosystem (Arnott et al. 2020; Hintz and Relyea 2017). Several species integral to the food web living in environments impacted by road salt face higher mortality rates, lower reproduction rates, reduced growth, and behavioral and physical abnormalities (Collins and Russel 2009; Hintz and Relyea 2017; Arnott et al. 2020). Four streams in the Delaware River Watershed were studied to determine the effects of road salt on their ecosystems. The chloride levels of each stream were monitored over the months of January and February 2024. Spikes in chloride concentrations were correlated with winter storms and road salt runoff. Baseflow conditions for many of the streams hovered around or above US EPA chronic chloride toxicity levels. First flushes following winter storms rose above acute toxicity levels, raising concern for the organisms that live in and rely on the streams. The possible effects of these elevated salinity levels are analyzed, and road salt alternatives and mitigation strategies are discussed.