Road salt acts as an effective method to maintain safe roads in the winter, but it also has adverse effects on our health and on the environment. When sodium and chloride contaminate drinking water, we can be exposed to health risks such as high blood pressure and heavy metals like lead. In the Adirondacks, an estimated 193,000 tons of road salt is applied annually and research has shown that the salt contamination of drinking water in the Adirondacks is caused by an anthropogenic source. This initiative focuses on implementing road salt reduction programs in towns of the Adirondack Mountains.
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Road Salt Effects on Saranac Lake Drinking Water
My capstone study, which inspired this initiative, analyzed the different factors that led to salt contamination by measuring the salinity levels of drinking water sources in Saranac Lake, NY. It found that 29.17% of participants had contaminated wells (sodium levels: 27.6 – 245.9 mg/L), 70.83% of participants had non-contaminated wells (sodium levels: 0.7 – 19.5 mg/L), and the Saranac Lake municipal water was contaminated at 44.2 mg/L of sodium. The factors that lead to a higher risk of contamination include excessively well drained and well drained soils, well-draining surface geology and bedrock types, wells near state roads, wells downslope from the road, and wells near roads (30m or less). It found that Saranac Lake has high sodium and chloride levels compared to neighbors in the Adirondacks and the rest of New York State and proposed a Saranac Lake Road Salt Reduction Program to reduce salt levels. Lastly, it discussed contaminant regulation, environmental justice, and action steps on local, state, and national levels. Below is my capstone presentation that discusses the findings of my study in further detail:
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Interested in Adirondack road salt reduction programs?
.Contact OutdoorEchoCo@gmail.com for more information.