I first noticed the salt, really noticed the salt, this winter. It was our first winter with a dog and the road salt irritated his paws, leaving him limping halfway through a walk. We tried to avoid it, but it was everywhere. Of course, the winter ritual of salting the roads is nothing new. The practice began in the 1940s. Praised for its effectiveness at lowering the freezing temperature of water, salt use has doubled and doubled again and again (and again.) According to Penn State Extension, in those early years, 5,000 tons of salt were spread on roads annually. Now we use 20 million tons of salt annually, or roughly 123 pounds for every American.

The Water Breathes Salty

The practice has become so ubiquitous, states that experience a sub-32 degree winter are called the Salt Belt. Pennsylvania falls right in the middle of this 21-state region, and our waterways are starting to show it.

“I have been working on the salt question [at Stroud] for a while,” says Stroud Water Research Center Senior Scientist Dr. John Jackson, but it was a research project by a West Chester University student six years ago that really opened his eyes to the severity of the problem. She had set up a sensor to measure the salt level of Plum Creek as it flows near S. New St.

“It was the first time we measured water as salty as ocean water,” said John – and it was Sept. Salt was supposed to be a winter problem.

To help raise awareness around this growing problem, this winter Stroud scientists, West Chester University students, and volunteers headed out to their local streams – the smaller the better – and measured salt concentrations using chloride-specific test strips.

In total, 630 sites were tested and mapped, including more than 80 West Chester locations. Below is a list of where streams were saltiest. The results were consistent with what scientists already know: areas with lots of impervious surfaces that need to be cleared quickly in a snowstorm have waterways with higher salinity.

“Our salt problem is only a problem because we’ve asked for it,” said John.

West Chester Top 10 –

Salinity reading (mg/L)	Watershed	Sample location
6064	Plum Run	Rt. 202 (West Goshen)
6064	Goose Creek	Paoli Pike (WG)
6064	E. Branch Chester Creek	West Chester Pike (WG)
4722	Goose Creek	E. Washington/Garfield Ave.
2920	Goose Creek	Aldi (WG)
2684	Goose Creek	Turner Ln. (WG)
2280	E. Branch Chester Creek	Spring Ln. (WG)
1582	E. Branch Chester Creek	Spring Ln. (WG)
1427	Goose Creek	Cedar Alley (West Chester Borough)
1320	Goose Creek	E. Barnard St. (WCB)
1320	Goose Creek	Henderson HS (WCB)

How the Salt Belt became the Rust Belt

Ok, sure, that seems high, but how big a deal is a little extra salt? The ocean seems fine.

I guess that depends on whether you like fish and wildlife in your streams, or bridges to drive over them. Salt – which breaks down into sodium and chloride – poses a significant risk to both surface water and groundwater quality. Chloride levels above 230 mg/L are toxic to wildlife. They also stunt aquatic growth, impact food sources, and can lead to oxygen depletion, which can be detrimental to fish. That’s just what it does to the water supply. High levels also cause concrete to dissolve quicker, erode bridge infrastructure, and cause rust-resistant cars to rust. The problem has grown to such an extent that people are starting to confuse the Salt Belt with the Rust Belt.

Ok, fine. So, how do we fix this problem?

We use less salt. (You kind of walked into that one.) While the answer is simple, getting there is not. Road salt has proven an effective (and cheap) way to de-ice roads and sidewalks in winter and we like our roads, sidewalks, and parking lots clear at the first sight of snow and often before.

“The people using more and more salt have done it for all the right reasons,” said John. “But they weren’t looking at the full picture.” Now he would like to see a little recalibration.

“We’re not going to stop. We’re going to use salt for the right reasons. We are just going to have to be more careful about it,” he said.

5 Tips to Reduce Salt Use:

• Shovel or plow first
• Check your deicer instructions to avoid over-salting. Clean up leftover crystals after storms.
• Be proactive and treat walkways before ice forms
• Use natural materials (sand or grit) instead
• Talk to local contractors about reducing salt use

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Originally published on Mar. 28, 2025

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