A new study from the University of Maryland shows the harmful, permanent impact of road salt runoff. It also shows D.C. metro waterways aren’t in great shape.
WASHINGTON — After a winter storm, do you ever wonder where all that salt on the roads goes?
University of Maryland professor Sujay Kaushal did.
On a March morning, he walked along the creek that runs behind several of the engineering buildings on campus. He is quick to point out what he found.
“When the snow melts, it funnels all that into the storm drain, and then you get this water, that is salty going out into the stream,” he explained.
He began studying salt’s effect on water quality 20 years ago and has since focused that study on the D.C. metro area’s waterways.
He explained you start to see the salt levels rising almost immediately during a winter storm.