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Are Canada’s lakes becoming salty?

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by Andres Clavier, Freshwater Stewardship Education Intern

Recent research has highlighted concerning news: there has been a pronounced escalation in the salinization of our freshwater bodies over the past twenty years. If this trend continues, many Canadian lakes will reach critical levels in the next 40 years. Elevated salt concentrations can severely impair aquatic flora, lead to widespread fish deaths, and turn these freshwater zones inhabitable for many species. The implications extend beyond individual organisms; heightened salinity can reconfigure food webs and perturb natural cycles.

Our rivers, streams, and even crucial groundwater reserves are also seeing increases in salinity (Kaushal, et. al, 2005). Land wildlife are also suffering consequences; the pull of these salts lures them onto roads and roadsides. This elevates the risk of vehicular collisions and jeopardizes iconic Canadian species like moose, elk, and deer that are lured by the salt.

Increased salinity in freshwater systems due to road salts can make water uninhabitable for certain species and disrupt aquatic ecosystems. Road salts are decreasing the survival rate of wood frog embryos, and species such as brook trout and mussels are also notably being affected (Karraker, et. al, 2008; Gillis, 2011).

What is causing the increase in salinity?

As temperatures drop and icy conditions, road salts become widely used by municipalities, businesses and private users to ensure safe passage on our highways and streets. Yet, beyond their safety benefits, there is an alarming cascading effect on our environment. Current trends of year-round high chloride concentrations are being observed with chronically high chloride concentrations overlapping with spawning periods and early-life stages for many species. While the use of road salts occurs in the winter, the impacts are felt year-round.

How can we make a change? 

To tackle this issue holistically, increased public awareness, improved road designs to minimize runoff, enhanced monitoring, and revised regulations are critical. Today, reducing salt consumption is the only known solution to this issue. While other de-icing agents are available, their environmental repercussions have yet to be fully discovered, highlighting the necessity for more research. It is imperative to balance ensuring safe roads and preserving our delicate ecosystems, a challenge that demands our collective commitment and action.

A Call for Action

Watersheds Canada is initiating a road salt awareness campaign to advocate for more sustainable and eco-friendly de-icing practices. By supporting regulations, monitoring, and liability, we can safeguard our aquatic ecosystems, protect wildlife, and ensure the continued purity of our nation’s waters. You can be the ripple effect needed to spark change. Share this information with loved ones and peers, emphasizing the significance of joining hands against road salt pollution. Stay tuned for more resources and blogs!

 

References

Corsi, S. R., Graczyk, D. J., Geis, S. W., Booth, N. L., & Richards, K. D. (2010). A fresh look at road salt: Aquatic toxicity and water-quality impacts on local, regional, and national scales. Environmental Science & Technology, 44(19), 7376-7382.
Gillis, P. L. (2011). Assessing the toxicity of sodium chloride to the glochidia of freshwater mussels: Implications for salinization of surface waters. Environmental Pollution, 159(6), 1702-1708.
Kaushal, S. S., Groffman, P. M., Likens, G. E., Belt, K. T., Stack, W. P., Kelly, V. R., … & Fisher, G. T. (2005). Increased salinization of fresh water in the northeastern United States. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 102(38), 13517-13520.
Karraker, N. E., Gibbs, J. P., & Vonesh, J. R. (2008). Impacts of road deicing salt on the demography of vernal pool-breeding amphibians. Ecological Applications, 18(3), 724-734.

 

This piece is part of an education toolkit generously funded by:

  • John Vanderweit |

    Could you forward this information to the Clean Annapolis River Project (CARP)
    I went to a general meeting recently and brought this issue up but it seemed the implications of excessive road salting is not taken seriously. Any studies or references would be appreciated
    carp@annapolisriver.ca
    Reply
  • Mark Mast |

    I live in the Town of Rainy River, a border town in Northwestern Ontario.

    For the past 24 years, I have pastored two churches… one in the USA and the other in Canada.

    Every Sunday, I travel on two roads that run parallel to each other with nothing but the Rainy River (river) separating them. The Rainy River serves as the USA/Canada border for approximately 120km. These two roads are sometimes within only a few hundred feet of each other, with nothing but the Rainy River separating them. Rarely does more than a few kilometers separate them. They both face identical weather conditions.

    However, that is where the comparison ENDS. The difference in the way that snow on these two roads is dealt with throughout the winter months is truly remarkable!

    The first church service I conduct requires me to drive approximately 25 miles on Highway 11 from Baudette to Birchdale in the USA (Minnesota).

    The second church service I conduct requires me to drive approximately 45 km on the Highway 11 from Rainy River to Barwick in Canada (Ontario).

    Yes, the roads are called the same on each side of the border… Highway 11… and my drive is on these two roads that run parallel to each other every Sunday of the year.

    Almost without exception, the roads in Minnesota are always dry, clear and bare, with little or no salt on them. I can literally drive from my home in Rainy River to church and back in the USA and have a spotlessly clean car when I return.

    But, then I have to drive from Rainy River to Barwick. So much for a clean car! Within 2 km, my car will be covered with salt! I will also be driving in hazardous conditions of slush, ice and melting snow. If I meet a snowplow, it will have a blade that is probably 1 to 2 inches off the pavement, leaving a large amount of snow on the road. Coming out of its side and back will be massive quantities of salt pouring all over the road. As I said, my clean car will soon be covered with corrosive salt which destroys vehicles in a matter of a couple of years.

    This is so unbelievable! I have seen this scenario played out for decades… and the salt in Canada needs to stop! Roads are far less dangerous to travel with no salt on them than they are with greasy slush that pulls you into the ditch because they have not been properly plowed and have been salted to melt the rest.

    In the case of a sunny day, when it is merely windy, the snow in the USA freely blows across the road and the roads remain clear and dry.

    In Canada, the blowing snow hits the road and immediately sticks because of all the salt residue that covers the road making it a magnet for the snow trying to drift across. It also makes the roads pure white!

    And where do you suppose all this salt goes to when it rains? Yup, the beautiful Rainy River… home to Sturgeon, Walleye, Northern and countless other fish species. This area is known as the “Walleye Capital” of the world… but I wonder for how long.

    The Rainy River District is certainly a place where the tons of salt that are used on the roads is going straight into the fresh, clean water of the Rainy River. All that salt must surely be having a very adverse effect upon the ecosystem.

    If only the plows would lower their blades to actually scrape off the snow, what a difference this place would be! Any mechanic you speak to from this area will also tell you that cars would last for many years longer if the corrosive salt that is used was removed and eliminated.

    Please do everything you can to limit the use of salt on our roads. If people would only drive according to the conditions, there would be absolutely no problems whatsoever.

    Keep up the good work!
    Reply
    • Mike Grinnell |

      The MTO in South Central Ontario is using as much pre-wetted salt as it can and when it can. They also calibrate the spreader mechanisms on the trucks to minimize salt spread . The MTO office in North Bay will likely have the info you need. The MTO goal here is to reduce salt by 20%.
      Reply

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