SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Road salt is commonly used on roads in the winter across the colder parts of the United States, especially here in the Northeast. However, we are now beginning to see major pollution impacts from road salt, killing wildlife and vegetation and impacting our drinking water. Plus, more road salt is being used in recent years, making the problem worse.

The pollution from road salt has only become a major problem in recent years. Looking at the chart below, the United States highway salt sales have gone up dramatically since 1990, staying consistently high in the 2000s with around 15 million metric tons of road salt bought each year. Across the United States, most of the salt used on roads each year is applied in northeastern and midwestern states, with six states using three quarters of the total: New York, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The states with the highest amount of road salt put down by area per year is New York and Ohio.

To help minimize pollution from road salt, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Transportation created the Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force in 2020, which came out with their assessment and recommendations final report in 2023, just a couple years ago.

This report discovered how the road salt impacts wildlife and human health. Here are the three major impacts that road salt pollution causes. First, the chloride from rock salt is seeping into groundwater from warmer temperatures leading to snowmelt in spring and rainfall. Salt in the groundwater travels into well water, which many homes in the Adirondacks have and people drink from.

Second, road salt runoff water travels into streams and rivers which is toxic for fish, amphibians (such as frogs/salamanders), and macroinvertebrates (also known as bugs). Only half of a teaspoon of salt per 5 gallons of water has major impacts on these groups of wildlife. Third, road salt damages/kills plants from salt spray as cars drive by on wet roads splashing it onto your yard and seeping into the grass/bushes/trees. Plus, road salt corrodes metal and concrete, which can cause infrastructure damage and eat away at bridges, piping underground, and your car.

Here’s what you can do to help protect the environment. Use a liquid deicer, such as brine, which has less salt or chloride in it and is better for the environment. Shovel your driveway frequently to prevent ice buildup so you won’t need to use salt. You can also use a salt/sand mixture to help get traction on your driveway without using as much salt. Lastly, wash your car frequently to prevent rust or corrosion on the metal from road salt, especially underneath your car.