Salting roads may harm environment

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With an increase in the use of road salt this winter, Michigan environmental agencies are uneasy about the effects of its runoff.

“The concern is that it can run off into nearby waterways and affect animal life and plant life,” said Robert McCann, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, salt use in Michigan has increased more than 100,000 tons this year, compared to last year’s winter.

Eric Hanson, an MSU horticulture professor, said road salt can blow off the road as mist and stunt crop growth in low-lying agricultural fields.

“It makes high enough concentrations to make soils nonproductive,” he said.

Hanson said drainage ditches are the only protection against salt and rainwater.

Other times, excess salt leaves roadways as runoff and enters into the storm drains, where it can eventually wind up in the lakes and rivers, said Todd Sneathen, East Lansing’s director of public works.

“The biggest thing is reducing the amount of salt,” Sneathen said.

Local road companies can mix salt and water before applying it to the road or apply water to bridges before salting, Sneathen said.

Doug Hecox, spokesman for the Federal Highway Administration, said some states are blending beet juice with salt.

“The blend can be used in 20 or 30 below weather and it sticks to the road better, so there’s less salt being used,” Hecox said.

David Rockwell, environmental scientist for the Great Lakes National Program Office, said road salt is partially responsible for a significant increase in chloride levels in Lake Michigan.

Load levels, which measure chlorine concentration multiplied by weight, have increased by 50 percent since the 1970s.

“The goal is to not deteriorate the water quality, but it’s still a long way to go before there’s a taste problem,” Rockwell said.

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