ABSTRACT: The amount of road salt being used to deice
streets and sidewalks during the winter months has doubled since 1960, and there
are multiple effects from road salt on a number of areas in a watershed, which
all relate to it being ingrained in the soil. This group is asking if road salt
is causing the chloride concentration in soil to increase over time and
hypothesizes that the levels of chloride will be significantly higher in the
soil samples taken after the winter snows have melted in the spring than in the
samples taken November, before the first snow fall.
This study used the Hach Test to determine the chloride
concentration in the soil from different areas on the Edgewood Campus (map).
The test was conducted before and after the winter season to conclude whether
the road salt used for automobile safety is increasing the chloride
concentration in the soil.
This study showed an increase in chloride concentration in two out of the three
locations that were tested. The other location showed no difference between the
pre-winter and post-winter samples.