Road salt is a difficult product to escape in the wintery north, even the protected forests of the Adirondacks. Road salt is something we've come to understand as necessary in a society where cars are our main source of transportation. However, road salt is incredibly caustic and has a drastic affect on the surrounding environment. Road salt remains and even accumulates in the soil and water "years, perhaps even decades" after it has melted off the roads. This means that even if all road salt application halted today the environment would continue to suffer. The problem is that road salt application can't be stopped today, it would be dangerous and probably illegal.
There are alternatives but they're frequently under-utilized because their value is misunderstood. Calcium, for example, has a lower impact on the environment and less is needed to achieve the same effect. However, calcium has a significantly higher face-value and is therefore off-putting to state highway departments who are frequently struggling with their tight budgets.
As usual, the battle over road salt is one of safety and usability (of roads, in this case) vs. environmental preservation. Both are of vast importance and neither can be disregarded for the sake of the other, putting the issue at a standstill, just like essentially every other issue in the park.
I believe this becomes yet another instance where we as humans are not willing to put anything before our own safety. We as a whole talk a big talk about the sacrifices we make for the park and for nature but when it comes down to what we value more it will always be ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that road salt was so detrimental to the environment. It is sad that we know how dangerous it is and we have created better alternatives, yet we still use it because of cost efficiency, and ease. I think the government should try to reduce the price of calcium and promote its use over road salt.
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