Every winter, more than half a billion pounds of salt are spread on state highways in New Jersey to keep them ice-free during snow events. Municipalities apply tens of thousands of tons more on city streets. These blasts of salt can temporarily turn freshwater bodies – from where we pull our drinking water – into something close to seawater. The Sierra Club is very concerned about the impact of salt spreading. Snow that is dumped into our waterways after snow events contains toxic chemicals such as benzyne, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hydrocarbons, and many more.

“As we’re heading into the snowiest part of the winter, we need to be prepared for inclement weather. However, we should not be over salting our roads because of the harmful impact to the environment. Last year, Governor Murphy’s decision to constantly brine our roads even on sunny days hurt the environment and resulted in lead leaching out of pipes. Murphy says that he wants to get lead out of our drinking water and out of our schools, but over salting only makes our lead problems worse. Road salt also gets into our streams, rivers, and soil, negatively affecting plants and aquatic ecosystems,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “The Governor has committed to get lead out of our drinking water. If he is serious about making that commitment, he needs to avoid over-brining our roads this winter.”

High amounts of chloride, the compound that makes up rock salt, can strip lead soldering from pipes in older homes, flushing those lead particles into drinking water. Schools in New Jersey have repeatedly failed lead testing, resulting in water fountains being shut down and emergency lead screenings being scheduled. Thousands of children are diagnosed with lead poisoning in our state each year.

“We have a serious problem with lead in our drinking water. Chloride can increase lead leaching out of old pipes and into rivers like the Raritan and Passaic. This is part of an $8 billion problem that needs to be fixed immediately to keep the lead out of our homes and schools. This is exactly what happened in Flint, Michigan. Lead in drinking water has become an ongoing issue in New Jersey, and it especially affects children. It can cause illness and even small amounts can lead to brain damage and learning disabilities,” said Tittel. “Because Newark, Paterson, and Trenton have open-air finished reservoirs, they cannot add orthophosphates to the water to prevent lead from leaching out of pipes, which makes the lead problem even worse.”

Last winter, public health warnings were issued to people with high blood pressure and heart disease about the potential harm from high levels of salt in drinking water. High salt levels are also dangerous for people with autoimmune diseases and children. The Oradell Reservoir was listed as impaired for salt by DEP last year, and winter health advisories had to go out to residents of Bergen County.

“Over brining pours salt into fresh bodies of water that supply our drinking water. Health officials say that the salt alone can harm a person’s blood pressure and exacerbate heart conditions, especially for those with autoimmune diseases. This is an alarming public health problem that is only made worse by over brining. Last year, health advisories had to be sent out to residents in Bergen County because of high salt levels in Oradell Reservoir,” said Tittel. “Each unnecessary brining of a roadway only adds to damaging health and environmental impacts.”

Road salt can be detrimental to the environment. It increases the salinity of freshwater systems like lakes, ponds, and wetlands. According to a report on road salt by the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, it is estimated that it will take decades or more for salt levels to stabilize in freshwater systems, and that is only if road salt use is reduced.

“Salt that is washed into surrounding streams and rivers harms fish and aquatic macroinvertebrates. Extended exposure to high salt levels can negatively impact the health and reproduction of many organisms living in our waterways. Extremely high levels can be lethal to these species. It can take a long time for salt levels to go down, which means that fish and macroinvertebrates are exposed to dangerous chloride levels long after winter is over. It is estimated that it will take decades for salt levels in freshwater systems to stabilize, which means that we have to act now,” said Jeff Tittel. “Chloride from brine also damages important infrastructure, like roads and bridges, and causes corrosion of brake linings and frames.”

There are alternatives to traditional road salt. Agro-based alternatives include corn steepwater, cheese and pickle brine, and fermentation byproducts from beer and wine waste. Rock salt is only effective to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, but safer alternatives like potassium acetate and calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) are effective to -15 and -17 degrees, respectively.

“There are many alternatives to traditional road salt. Brines that use potassium acetate or magnesium acetate instead of chlorides are much safer to use. They are not corrosive and they do not have direct impacts on wildlife or the environment. There are also biodegradable alternatives like beet juice and beer and wine waste. These alternatives are more effective at melting snow than chloride-based road salt, and can be mixed with grit or sand to create traction. Even if they cost more than road salt, they are more effective and require less to be used,” said Tittel. “Safer alternatives can help protect public health and the environment from the negative impacts of chloride.”

There are many ways to reduce road salt use. Using a less-concentrated salt brine before storms can result in a 75% savings in total salt applied, according to the Cary Institute. Modern plows have blades that conform to uneven road surfaces, reducing the overall amount of salt needed. Pavement temperature sensors are also important because they determine if snow and ice will stick and how much salt is needed for safe road conditions.

“Another important way to decrease negative impacts of road salt is to not over salt. Using accurate weather forecasts can help make sure the proper amount of salt is put down. Snow plows can also be fitted with temperature gauges that read the temperature of the road and automatically dispense the appropriate levels of salt. It is important to make sure that salt isn’t wastefully being put down on 38-degree sunny days. New Jersey could also identify no- or low-salt areas near sensitive freshwater reservoirs or lakes,” said Jeff Tittel. “Reducing salt use helps the state and municipalities save money and mitigates negative environmental and health impacts.”

Road salt corrodes metals like automobile brake linings, frames, and bumpers. Automakers spend almost $4 billion every year to prevent this corrosion. Salt penetrates concrete and can corrode the reinforcing rods, resulting in cracked pavement and damaged bridges and roads.

“As we prepare for snow storms, it is important for New Jersey to consider safer alternatives to traditional road salt to save money and reduce environmental and health impacts. We must use safer, more environmentally-friendly methods that not only protect our environment but also our infrastructure. We cannot continue polluting our waterways, damaging our roads, and impacting our health by dumping millions of tons of rock salt on our roads each winter,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “NJDOT and NJDEP must develop proper snow dumping and salt spreading policies. By salting less and using safer alternatives, they can protect our drinking water, our roads, and our health.”