Oversalting in the winter has caused problems for Baltimore County waterways
During the winter, Baltimore County crews and residents salt the roads, bridges, parking lots, and home sidewalks, and for decades, it has been causing problems for the waterways.
The Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability has been monitoring Scott's Level Branch, a tributary of Gwynns Falls in Baltimore County.
For nearly two decades, the health of this urban waterway has been tracked, and data show unusually high salt concentrations, which are likely negatively impacting the local ecosystem.
Parts of the stream are as salty as portions of Chesapeake Bay.
"It's not as salty as all the way down in Norfolk, where we're dumping into the ocean, but in some of the middle parts of the bay, you know, around the Bay Bridge and Annapolis," said Morgan Kaumeyer, the technical field manager for Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability.
How can winter salt impact the waterways?
The salt that is put down doesn't stay where it is applied.
Salt is carried by runoff into sewers and culverts, then into bodies of water like Scott's Level Branch, and eventually, in many cases, the Bay.
Changing the salinity or saltiness of water can come with negative impacts.
While a decline in animal and plant species cannot be directly tied to saltiness alone, native plants and all sorts of water-loving animals are impacted by saltier-than-natural conditions around the world.
In Baltimore County freshwater streams, some trout can be harmed by saltier water.
"It doesn't take as much salt as people think it does to actually melt snow and ice, and in fact, you get to a point where the salt is no longer effective," Kaumeyer said.
Safer, not saltier
Salt is vital to keeping roads clear and movement safe.
The goal is to be safer, not saltier, according to the Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability.
There has been a clear effort made to reduce the amount of salt used by many local and state agencies.
Many transportation departments have switched to computerized systems to reduce the chance of oversalting.
At home, try to only salt in ice-prone areas of your property.
Salt works best when it is applied sparingly. A 12-ounce mug of salt is enough to cover 10 sidewalk squares, the same areas of an average single driveway. Also consider salt alternatives, like sand.
Small changes in everyday winter practices can make a big difference in stream health and can turn around animal loss, including the loss and movement of trout populations seen in Baltimore County.
"We don't want to lose species," Kaumeyer said. "If we can improve the conditions in our ecosystems, in our streams, in our surrounding areas, as long as they're not gone-gone, they can come back."