Road Salt From Melting Snow Threatens Greater Boston River Ecosystems
As Greater Boston begins to thaw from recent snowstorms, runoff from melting snow carrying road salt and pollutants will enter freshwater systems like the Mystic River and Charles River, raising…
Stock Photo
As Greater Boston begins to thaw from recent snowstorms, runoff from melting snow carrying road salt and pollutants will enter freshwater systems like the Mystic River and Charles River, raising environmental concerns for aquatic life.
Environmental officials are concerned that road salt and chloride from winter runoff are harming Massachusetts' Mystic River watershed by increasing water salinity. These impacts can stunt aquatic growth, disrupt reproduction, and cause deaths in wildlife at high exposures.
Urban stormwater can also carry sand, soot, pet waste, plastics, and bacteria into waterways. Nutrient pollution from fertilizers, detergents, and organic matter can lead to overfertilization and eutrophication, which also threaten river ecosystems.
"Any animal waste, any oil that comes out of a car. We hear more and more about forever chemicals, things that are just in the systems from the products that we use," said Chris Mancini of Save the Harbor in a statement shared with NBC10 Boston.
In bodies of water like the Charles River, elevated bacterial levels can make people sick.
Long-term data show rising chloride levels across freshwater sites and in groundwater, corroborated by a 2016 U.S. Geological Survey report on regional increases in New England. In addition, the Mystic River Watershed Association has studied the river for over two decades, documenting elevated chloride in both groundwater and river water.
“The reason this is an environmental issue for aquatic ecosystems is that salt, specifically, is toxic,” said Andrew Hrycyna, water quality program manager at the Mystic River Watershed Association, in a statement shared with The Boston Globe.
Advocates urge using green stormwater infrastructure, features like permeable landscapes, tree pits, and infiltration tanks, to capture and filter runoff before it reaches waterways.
“That's what we're always pushing for, both rainfall runoff and the snow melt,” said Julie Wood, climate resilience director at Charles River Watershed Association. “Just natural filtration before it reaches the river.”
