Deicing the Adirondacks

 Last week I examined some of the local effects of an extreme winter. I had mentioned the use of road ice, but never thought anything more of it. While browsing through the Adirondack Almanac, I came across multiple articles that discuss the problems associated with deicing practices. Road salt is something a lot of people take for granted and while it is a necessity for road safety; it does pose many environmental hazards. Not only are traditional deicing practices inefficient but they also increase the risk of environmental degradation. Therefore it is important to support the use of modern deicing technology.

            Rock salt has been used since the 1940s and has traditionally been spread as a dry rock compound. But this style of spreading is not efficient and studies have shown that between 30-40% of the salt bounces off of the road (Guest Contributor). Not only does this mean that we must dump more salt, but it also means a greater environmental risk for the wilderness surrounding the roads. Road salt can affect both the soil and water systems it infiltrates. In the recent study State of the Lake: Chief Concerns as Revealed by Science, the FUND for Lake George cites road salt as the cause of the lake’s three-fold increase in salt concentrations (Editorial Staff). Road salt can make its way to a lake either through surface water runoff or groundwater infiltration. The water that has mixed with the road salt will settle towards the bottom of a lake because NaCl increases the density of water. The contaminated mix that settles towards the bottom of the river creates a chemical stratification, which prevents oxygen from circling through the deeper layers of the lake. If the lake floor is unable to circulate oxygen it is not able to support life and becomes a dead zone. This is a major problem facing the health of a lake. Since road salt has dramatically changed the salt levels of Lake George, environmentalists and state officials have taken steps towards mitigation.

            Since the release of their study, the FUND has worked hard to urge municipalities to reduce their salt use. The FUND has drafted a Memorandum of Understanding, which requires municipalities “to work in good faith to create an effective program to reduce the levels of salt application surrounding Lake George” (Hall). If municipalities sign on then they will receive a grant to use towards better equipment and salt resources. One strategy of deicing that is more efficient is using a salt brine slurry rather than dry rock salt. Using a wet mixture ensures that the salt will stick to the road immediately and will greatly reduce the chance of displacement (Guest Contributor). There is still time to reduce the salt concentrations of Lake George before it reaches the tipping point, but local municipalities will need to act now in order to mitigate this problem. Unfortunately many bodies of water have salt levels far worse than Lake George. The USGS has found that many waterways in the Northeast have toxic levels of salt due to the use of dry road salt. Hopefully the steps taken to help Lake George can serve as a model for other lakes throughout the Northeast.

Works Cited

Editorial Staff. "Lake George Threats, Protection Measures Outlined -." The Adirondack Almanack. The Adirondack Almanack, 14 Jan. 2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. <http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2015/01/lake-george-threats-protection-measures-outlined.html>.

Guest Contributor. "Road Salt Use Wasteful, Damaging." The Adirondack Almanack. The Adirondack Almanack, 05 Apr. 2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. <http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2015/04/road-salt-use-wasteful-damaging.html>.

Hall, Anthony F. "Fund: Lake George Salt Levels Can Be Cut 40% -." The Adirondack Almanack. The Adirondack Almanack, 25 Mar. 2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. <http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2015/03/fund-lake-george-salt-levels-can-be-cut-40.html>.

"Water Quality Impacts - Environmental, Health and Economic Impacts of Road Salt - Salt Reduction - Watershed Assistance Section - NH Department of Environmental Services." NH Department of Environmental Services. NH Department of Environmental Services, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. <http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wmb/was/salt-reduction-initiative/impacts.htm#waterquality>.