Salt Watch
Road salt has polluted our waterways for decades. The Izaak Walton League is taking action.
Road salt keeps us safe on roads and sidewalks during the winter months. Towns, cities, businesses, and individuals dump roughly 10-20 million tons of salt every year, depending on the winter weather conditions. As snow melts or rain falls, that salt gets washed into our storm drains, our streams, and even into our drinking water.
In 2017, a Clean Water Fellow at the Izaak Walton League of America noticed a huge pile of salt left by a salt truck sitting directly next to a storm drain. That salt was headed right for the Muddy Branch, a small stream that travels through Maryland and feeds into the Potomac River. He contacted local government agencies to try and address the problem. He quickly discovered that the world of road salt is a complicated one and that its effects on our waterways are not well known or well studied. Inspired by the success of the League's Save Our Streams community science program, IWLA staff launched Salt Watch to mobilize community scientists to monitor chloride (salt) levels in local creeks and streams.
Since 2018, volunteers from 37 states plus Washington, D.C. have submitted over 22,000 chloride readings. Partner groups like the New Jersey Watershed Watch Network (NJ), Reston Association (VA) Wissahickon Trails (PA), and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MN) are using Salt Watch to make local change.
And we keep growing each year. For the new season, we aim to partner with more local groups and, double the submissions we receive, and help volunteers advocate for smarter salt use in their community. You can join us and become a Salt Watcher too!
What is road salt?
When we hear the word "salt," most of us think of table salt, or sodium chloride. Road salt, or rock salt, can actually be a few different kinds of salts, like sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, and potassium chloride. Some cities use salt brine (a mixture of salt and water) or salt and sand to treat their roads.
"Pet friendly" or "environmentally safe" salts are becoming more and more popular - but these products are made of salts that still put chloride on the ground and into our water.
Salt keeps us safe: but too much of any salt is a problem.
Tracking Salt with Community Science
Armed with their Salt Watch kits and submitting data onto our online database, the Clean Water Hub , our community scientists head into the field to collect and submit chloride readings throughout the year.
By crowdsourcing this data, we gather hundreds of data points in a short amount of time. This data provides real-time information on chloride levels across the country.
Volunteers can share and use this data with their local watershed groups, neighbors, and local government. By raising awareness and using real data, we can create meaningful behavior change.
Chloride strips are simple to use, and sampling only takes a few minutes. Each Salt Watch kit comes with four chloride strips, so volunteers can take multiple samples throughout the year or throughout the winter season. One of the most important times to sample is before any snow has fallen. This provides a baseline, a reading we can compare with chloride levels later in the season to track any changes.
When the strip is ready, volunteers compare the reading to the Salt Watch conversion chart. This tells us how many parts per million (ppm) of salt there is in the water, or the concentration. A reading of 230 ppm is toxic to aquatic life. In an unpolluted stream, the strip should read zero.
This Salt Watch sample came from Missouri. The reading is off the charts: over 600 ppm.
In the 2023-2024 year, Salt Watchers conducted more than 6,600 chloride tests in 29 states. Many cities and towns saw toxic salt readings with spikes in chloride during the winter (after salt was applied) and during droughts in the summer months. Read the 2023-2024 Salt Watch Final Report.
A Growing Network
Every year, more and more watershed and environmental groups participate in Salt Watch. See where some of our partners work, and how they use Salt Watch to improve water quality!
01 / 08
1
Muddy Branch Salt Pile
The salting event that started it all! These salt piles sat directly beside a storm drain that feeds into the Muddy Branch.
2
Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy
Since 2022, Loudoun has more than DOUBLED their volunteer base and sample site locations for chloride monitoring!
3
Gaithersburg and MoCo, MD
Partnering with the City of Gaithersburg and Montgomery County , we launched targeted campaigns to engage youths, homeowners, HOAs, and businesses throughout the City and County to reduce road salt consumption.
4
Farmington River Watershed Association
One of our Partners in CT, FRWA is working hard to develop best management practices to reduce salt pollution and to monitor local waterways for chloride pollution year-round!
5
Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust
This local nonprofit developed the Salt Watch pledge for its volunteers. Pennypack is working with local business to raise awareness and education on best practices for road salt.
6
Wisconsin Salt Wise
WI Salt Wise is promoting salt watch participation in Wisconsin and allowing us to share their communication resources on talking to neighbors, elected officials, and property owners about smarter salt use.
7
Friends of the Rouge
Friends of the Rouge watershed volunteers combine Salt Watch with their annual Winter Stonefly Search, to paint a detailed picture of how local streams fare during the winter months.
8
Coon Creek Watershed District
Coon Creek works closely with local volunteers and management companies to spot and ameliorate potential salt pollution events.
Become a Salt Watcher!
Are you ready to become a clean water champion? Request your free Salt Watch Kit from the Izaak Walton League at saltwatch.org . You'll receive four chloride strips and instructions on how to collect and report your data.
For ideas on how to engage your neighbors, community, and lawmakers on road salt use, check out our online resources here !
