Cities Have the Rock Salt Blues

You can tell when they've finished getting the streets clear in major cities. They start nagging about all the salt that was used on the roads. NBC 4 Wash,  Anacostia River contamination concerns come as snow piles grow

As D.C. scoops up snow and ice to clear streets and dumps much of it on mounds in four parking lots around the city, concerns are raised about the environmental impact on local waterways.

Construction vehicles dump the snow into large trucks that take it to parking lots at Carter Barron Amphitheater near Rock Creek Park, the old United Medical Center and two lots at the old RFK Stadium site. About 1,000 loads of the so-nicknamed “snowcrete” have piled up so far.

But near RFK flows one of those environmental concerns: the Anacostia River. “Looks filthy, and all of that black stuff, it isn't dirt, right,” Anacostia Riverkeeper Trey Sherard said. “A lot of that black stuff is little, microscopic bits of tires. It's all the things that we added into the tires.” 

“You've got trash, you've got salt, you've got unmitigated dog waste, and they're gonna be in all of these ice piles,” he said. “And it's going straight into the Anacostia River from here.”  One of his biggest concerns is all the salt that could drain into the Anacostia as the ice melts.

Bear in minds, all the rest of that stuff runs off the streets and into the river the next time it rains anyway. And while they always cite salt a potential toxic, they never list  what organisms they are concerned about.

WRICH Richmond, As snow melts, Virginia lawmakers seek alternatives and awareness to road salt. Hey, the sun will do it. You just have to wait a little longer. 

WTOP, Slightly salty water could come out of your faucet soon in these Maryland suburbs “Eventually, it’s going to wash down the storm drains. It’s going to make its way into the creeks, the streams, the rivers, our source water,” Riggins said, adding that WSSC Water regularly tests the water and it’s safe to drink. Riggins said most people likely won’t notice the saltier taste."