Amber Marti, Frannie Schultz, Liz George, Christina Weigert
Abstract
Road salt use has led to detrimental effects on our environment, including plants and animals in this area. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a correlation between road salt use and chloride levels in the Edgewood retention pond. This location was chosen for testing because it is the primary body of water to be affected by road salt use on the Edgewood campus. Our hypothesis was that as road salt runs off during the melting of winter snow and ice, more chloride will be present in the retention pond. We collected 12 samples from the pond over a course of six months, and used a Hach® Test to measure chloride levels. Results support our hypothesis, in that there is an increasing trend in chloride concentrations in the pond as melting occurred. During the months of September through March, levels in the retention pond increased from 12.5 mg/L to 465 mg/L. To reduce the negative impact of road salt in the Wingra Watershed, our group recommends providing training to city employees as well as Edgewood’s maintenance staff, reducing the average road salt use, developing city ordinances focusing on the reduction of salt usage, and closely monitoring sodium and chloride levels in Madison and surrounding communities, including Edgewood’s campus.
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