The Harmful Effects of Road Salt on New Hampshire's Water

New Hampshire is well known for its snowy, cold winters. As such, New Hampshire winters require more maintenance than the occasional plow. Road salt: a cost effective solution. Road salt is used commonly to melt snow and to prevent the formation of ice on roads or sidewalks. Nationally, 24 million tons of salt are dumped onto the roads each year. New Hampshire is a large contributor to this large use of road salt as the state receives an average of 71 inches (“Average”). While effective in melting snow, there are many downsides to the use of road salt.
Road salt is composed of sodium and chloride, just like table salt is. In moderation, sodium chloride is not harmful to the body, and is even necessary for neural processes. The issue occurs when salt is consumed in large amounts. Road salt indirectly enters the bloodstream. No–people are not sprinkling road salt on their mashed potatoes, but they are drinking water. Road salt enters bodies of water when the snow melts through runoff. Runoff is how chemicals enter water – precipitation (either in rain or snow form) will flow down hills and into bodies of water. Once the runoff is in the water, so are harmful chemicals like excess amounts of chloride or sodium. These chemicals can be found in drinking water from personal wells or bodies of water used for city drinking water.
Road salt is not only harmful to humans, it is harmful to the aquatic life in these bodies of water. The chloride in road salt can cause oxygen deficiency, which is harmful to the organisms in the water. Chloride has the potential to prevent aquatic life reproduction and growth. Once chloride reaches 230 mg/L, life is threatened. A study conducted from 2008 to 2016 in New Hampshire found an alarming increase of 19 to 46 bodies of water being contaminated by chloride at a harmful amount.
As awareness of the danger that road salt poses to wildlife increases, so should our action. There are alternatives that are better for the environment to road salt. According to Tom’s of Maine, sugar beet juice, calcium magnesium acetate, and sand are three substitutes less detrimental to the environment. Another potential solution is to use a salt brine, which more effectively melts snow as it is in solution form. This “can reduce the salt being dropped on roadways by as much as 70%” (Mansburger). Action is necessary for aquatic wildlife and for drinking water safety. As winter approaches, mindfulness about the use of salt to melt snow should be on everyone’s radar.

Sources:

“3 Road Salt Alternatives That Don’t Harm the Environment.” Accessed November 29, 2023. https://www.tomsofmaine.com/good-matters/thinking-sustainably/3-road-sal....
“Average Snowfall by State 2023.” Accessed November 29, 2023. https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/average-snowfall-by-state.
Crompton, Jennifer. “State Seeks to Reduce Road Salt Use as Chemical Builds up in Environment.” WMUR, February 21, 2020. https://www.wmur.com/article/state-seeks-to-reduce-road-salt-use-as-chem....
Mansburger, Justin“Environmental Hazards of Road Salt.” Accessed November 29, 2023. https://extension.psu.edu/environmental-hazards-of-road-salt.
“Stormwater FAQ | Auburn NH.” Accessed November 29, 2023. https://www.auburnnh.us/storm-water-committee/pages/stormwater-faq.