Northeast Sees Salt on Roads and Salt in Groundwater

Hydrogeology, Geology, & Environmental Issues

Date posted: 01/10/14

North Country Public Radio in Canton, New York, reports that geoscientists have been noticing a change in the groundwater throughout the northeast. It is getting salty. Dr. Nancy Karraker, an Assistant Professor of Wetland Ecology at the University of Rhode Island, said she and other biologists have been documenting an increase in the salinity of groundwater. The problem with salt is that plants do not take it up, it does not bind to soils and so over time as it makes its way into wetlands, it concentrates, Karraker said. They concluded that the likely main culprit is the salt used on roads. Some areas in the northeast have been found to have groundwater that has 25 per cent the salinity of seawater. The most likely places are vernal or seasonal pools, roadside drainage ditches, and in some cases, reservoirs. Karraker said sodium contamination poses health risks to delicate ecosystems.