Yes, Salt is Potentially Damaging to the Environment
DULUTH, Minn.- Weather conditions this winter have caused a lot of ice buildup around the Northland. Covering roads and sidewalks with salt during the winter is routine, but this process can harm to the environment. To be clear though:
The rock salt therefore used on roads is the same salt that is used on your dinner table. This comes from Accu Weather. Also salting roads works by altering the freezing point of water. Water with a higher salt content has a lower freezing point than water with less salinity.
However and according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, many of the salt ends up where it shouldn’t. Cause de–icers that make it on the ground will eventually end up polluting bodies of water including Lake Superior.
Most of these products contain chloride, which can be very harmful to drinking water. In addition as melted ice running into storm drains.
It is potentially damaging to the fresh fish population and other species.
“We have fresh water critters out here and it really makes it hard for them to repopulate, eggs are damaged and it will eventually truly affect the population of fish,” said MPCA Public Information Officer Lucie Amundsen.
Experts say one teaspoon of salt can pollute up to five gallons of water.
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