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Melted snow carries salt, chloride to the Missouri River causing a negative environmental impact

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The day after a big snowstorm, Mid-Missouri sees slushy roads as they start to thaw and snow melts into ditches and streams. But the chemicals used to treat those roads stay with the melted snow as it flows into streams, ultimately ending up in the Missouri River.

When the snow melts in Mid-Missouri, it runs into the Missouri River. While the salt and brine road treatments are important to keep drivers and pedestrians safe, it disrupts the freshwater ecosystem of the Missouri River. Because of this, environmental scientists and roadway specialists work to reduce the impact of road treatments on the environment.

Safety first

The foremost priority when considering road treatments is the safety of those using the roads. Eric Landwehr, director of the Cole County Department of Public Works, said the county tries to reduce the amount of salt that ends up in rivers but cannot stop some from ending up in the water altogether.

"We have to treat the roads, it's a safety aspect that's important. As far as salt getting into the streams, yes it happens, it happens with every agency that does this work," Landwehr said. "We try to be a little bit mindful of what's going into the streams, but ultimately our first priority is safety."

Public works customize the exact mixture and amount of salt and brine used for each storm. Landwehr explains they have to consider temperature, amount of snow or rain and other factors to determine what will be most effective.

Environmental impact

The Missouri River is the longest river in North America. It provides 40% of Missouri's drinking water and, as Steve Schnarr with Missouri River Relief explains, is a popular recreation spot for Missourians.

"There are really so many people that just love to get to the river, get down to the river and enjoy the nature down there and all the wildlife," Schnarr said.

From fishing to drinking water, Schnarr considers the Missouri River to be a cornerstone of Mid-Missouri culture. But it the salt used in road treatments disrupt its freshwater ecosystem.

Kate Trauth, associate professor in the University of Missouri's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, says the chemicals can harm animals living in the river.

"When we think about the quality of water that (aquatic animals) need, they would have evolved to live in a certain environment," Trauth said. "Then when we change that environment, then we can just have all sorts of difficulties."

Reducing impact

There are several ways to reduce the environmental impact of road treatments. Trauth said many public works professionals, including the Missouri Department of Transportation, use natural alternatives like beet juice to treat roads when possible.

However, Trauth says the best way to lessen the environmental impact of road treatments is to make sure crews are using the correct amount of salt or other treatments.

"(Public works crews) are professionals, they work on this and they know the concentrations and how to apply it," Trauth said. "Sometimes, you may have private properties--you know, private parking lots, sidewalks--and there is rightly a concern for safety, but we may be using, perhaps, more salt than is necessary."

Trauth says the solution is education.

"In many areas, education is crucial to say how much should you be spreading around to be effective for the temperatures that you've got," Trauth said.

Government solutions

In Cole County, an ordinance was adopted in December 2021 that requires all future developments in the county to include retention ponds and other mitigation efforts to filter chemicals out of stormwater before it reaches the river. Landwehr said this is a strategy used in many places around the country to prevent water pollution, but it's new to Cole County.

"Since it's new, we haven't had any development that's fallen under this new ordinance yet," Landwehr said.

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Hannah Falcon

Hannah joined the ABC 17 News Team from Houston, Texas, in June 2021. She graduated from Texas A&M University. She was editor of her school newspaper and interned with KPRC in Houston. Hannah also spent a semester in Washington, D.C., and loves political reporting.

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