winter salt watch.
Winter in the Midwest means salt trucks on the roads. And while rock salt (sodium chloride) helps to keep us safe on streets and sidewalks, melting snow and ice carry the salt into our local creeks and streams where it can threaten fish, wildlife, and human health.
Join our citizen science Salt Watch Team
and help us monitor local streams this winter.
Since the 1940s, sodium chloride, commonly referred to as rock salt, has been the most widely used deicer in the United States. According to the National Research Council, we use an estimated 18-20 million tons of rock salt on our roads each year — about 120 pounds for every person in this country.
Despite its wide use, sodium chloride has proven to be unsafe in excess amounts for children and pets during winter outings, as well as harmful to aquatic life (like trout and frogs) and the environment.
The breakdown of salt compounds can disrupt local waterways by rapidly altering their bacteria levels, and as a result, vastly lowering the oxygen levels available for other organisms. Fish and bugs that live in freshwater streams can't survive in extra salty water. And many of us (more than 118 million Americans) depend on local streams for drinking water. Keeping our freshwater ecosystems “fresh” is critically important for protecting drinking water, fisheries, recreation, irrigation, and aquatic habitat.
But there are alternatives that can work better AND be less expensive. New research from St. Louis University finds applying saltwater to roads, known as brining, can reduce the amount of salt that ends up in streams. And beet juice, when mixed with salt brine, works even better at very low temperatures to treat icy surfaces. Scientists have even experimented with pickle juice and cheese!
Become a Citizen Scientist and Join our Winter Salt Watch Team! Help us monitor chloride levels and protect the health of Missouri’s streams and your local community. Here’s how to do it:
Request a Winter Salt Watch Kit.
Download the Water Reporter app (free for Apple and Android) or visit Water Reporter online to set up your profile.
Join the Missouri Confluence Waterkeeper group on Water Reporter by clicking here.
Follow the instructions in your kit to test the chloride in your stream.
Snap a photo and share your chloride sample readings on Water Reporter using the tags #MOsaltwatch and #MOwaterkeeper.
Watch as results are added to the map below.
Other Salt Alternatives and De-Icing Tips. Salt stops functioning under 15° Fahrenheit. Safe Paw is a salt-free alternative and is effective down to -2° Fahrenheit. Enviro-heat (beet juice blend) is effective down to -30° Fahrenheit and it is people and pet friendly too. Sand, gravel, and ash can also be spread over icy, slick areas to provide traction, eliminating the need to use de-icers in certain situations. Check out Deer Creek Watershed Alliance for more salt alternatives and de-icing tips.
Want to try DIY? Last winter, a crew at Washington University's Tyson Research Center in Eureka built a brine system using repurposed water tanks and garden hoses. The total cost of the project came to less than $50.
Other Ideas? Have you tried rock salt alternatives or homemade ice melters? Share your ideas with us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Find us at @MOwaterkeeper and use the tags #SaltWatchDIY and #MOsaltwatch.
Results will be posted below as samples are collected and uploaded to Water Reporter. Check back for updates!
Missouri Stream Teams, did you know that you can use the conductivity meter that is included with your water quality monitoring kit, and it will likely produce more accurate results than the test strips? When you take your meter out to test the water, snap a pic and upload to Water Reporter using #MOsaltwatch and #MOwaterkeeper. Don’t forget to tag your Stream Team! Email us for more info.
