Watershed groups urge municipalities to curb road salt after rise in chloride levels

Members of the Little Lehigh Watershed Stewards and the Pennsylvania Road Salt Action Working Group presented data and recommended steps to reduce road salt use at a Northampton County meeting, warning that chloride from de-icing is accumulating in groundwater and local streams and poses risks to aquatic life, drinking water and infrastructure.

Jennifer Latsko, a presenter from the PA Master Watershed Steward program, said researchers started testing chloride levels after finding elevated concentrations in the Little Lehigh Creek. "It only takes 1 teaspoon of salt to permanently pollute 5 gallons of water," Latsko said, and she noted that chloride that enters groundwater “builds up and gradually accumulates over time.”

The presenters said local monitoring by the Lehigh County Authority shows average chloride concentrations at a drinking-water intake have more than doubled over roughly two decades. They cited ecological research showing that many aquatic invertebrates used as stream-health indicators decline well below 50 milligrams per liter of…