February 16: Over salting with blue salt on the sidewalks outside Stone Ridge Academy in Bethesda in preparation for the snow storm that never happened. Best management practices dictate that the salt be sweep up when it was clear that it wasn’t going to snow. It can be saved to be used again.
Salt testing in February clearly shows what happens to the creek when the storm fails to materialize. Although forecasters were predicting snow for Friday, February 16, the weather had its own ideas; the temperatures were above freezing, and no snow fell in the Little Falls watershed. However, in anticipation of the storm, huge quantities of salt were spread on sidewalks in the Bethesda Chevy Chase area by Thursday afternoon.
Our data from February 17-19 shows the effects of the salt on the creek. At the Willett Branch and two other testing locations, chloride levels rose above the chronic mark. Most surprising was the level at the Brookmont site. Just three weeks before, this site and all the sites except our site on the Willett Branch were well below the chronic threshold. Data for the January 28/29 and February 17-19 is below.
Much of this salt pollution could have been prevented if the jurisdictions and property owners swept the salt up when they realized that the snow wasn't coming. Instead, the little bit of rain we received washed the salt into the storm drain system where it flows directly into the creek. Not only is it toxic to the fresh water organisms that make their home in the creek, it threatens our drinking water which comes from the Potomac. WSSC reports that once sodium or chloride enters our drinking water sources, they cannot remove it during the water filtration process.
Learn more about the LFWA Salt Water program and what you can do to prevent salt pollution in our creeks HERE.
Meet our Salt Monitors:
Sixteen trained citizen scientists make up our 2023-2024 salt monitoring team. They monitor eight sites, testing the third weekend of every month, and before and after storms - some times even more.
We asked Benjamin Levine who monitors the Willett Branch site to tell us why he joined the team:
My name is Benjamin Levine, I am an eighth grader at Green Acres School and this is my first time volunteering for the Salt Watch program, but I have volunteered in the past for the LFWA weed pulls. I think testing the water for salt levels is important because high chloride levels in the water make it unsafe for aquatic life. I enjoy testing because I do it by myself, and it is hands-on. I’ve learned about the excessive levels of road salt people put down and why that level should be reduced. Even though my part may seem small, I am willing to test the water because it helps my community.
Thank you to Benjamin and all our salt monitors and all the data for their commitment to the environment. A special shout out to Woody Stanley for leading the group and compiling