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Experts say road salt, softeners and fertilizers are raising chloride in Wisconsin waters
Summary
AECOM environmental scientist Kristen Fisher outlined how road salt, water softeners and potassium chloride fertilizers increase chloride concentrations in lakes and groundwater, described ecological and infrastructure harms, and advised homeowner and municipal practices to limit spread.
Kristen Fisher, an environmental scientist with AECOM, warned that chloride from road salt, water softeners and certain fertilizers is accumulating in Wisconsin’s waters and posing ecological, health and infrastructure risks. Fisher said road salt (sodium chloride) is the largest single source in the state, and cited usage on the order of “about 1 to 2,000,000 tons per year” in Wisconsin since the 1950s.
Fisher described how dissolved chloride increases water density and can prevent seasonal mixing in lakes (a process she called a mechanism for long-term accumulation), leaving chloride to concentrate near lake bottoms where it is difficult to remove. She said a statewide graphic shows urbanized areas, including Milwaukee and parts of southern Wisconsin, with concentrations well above pre-salt levels.
Locally, Fisher pointed to the Yahara lakes in Dane County. She said road salt usage fell…
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