The Farmington River Watershed Association is partnering with The Izaak Walton League of America on their volunteer program for monitoring road salt contamination in local water bodies. Road salt is everywhere during winter months. It keeps us safe on roads and sidewalks, but it can also pose a threat to fish and wildlife as well as human health.
With 33 towns in the Farmington River Watershed covering 609 square miles of land in Connecticut and Massachusetts, there is a lot of land to cover. Much of the work we do would not be possible without volunteers. As this is a winter program, site selection is important for the safety of our volunteers. Always remember, safety is far more important than data. If you would like to volunteer for Salt Watch, but would like to check the safety of a site or have a site recommended contacts us by email. View our safety protocol here.
Why is it important to monitor salt pollution in our streams?
Many plants and animals that live in freshwater streams can’t survive in extra salty water and many of us (more than 118 million Americans) depend on local streams for drinking water. Water treatment plants are not equipped to filter out the extra salt, so it can end up in your tap water and even corrode your pipes.
When you take the Salt Watch Pledge, you will be sent a FREE kit with everything you need to find out whether road salt pollution is a problem in your local stream. Your data will be uploaded using the app Water Reporter and will provide important information on the health of our watershed.
To become a citizen scientist take the Salt Watch Pledge and get your FREE kit visit Winter Salt Watch.
Take action against road salt with these tips from the Winter Salt Watch website.
Visit the River Smart webpage for more resources.
Learn how you can plant a rain garden or vegetated streamside buffer to help absorb polluted stormwater and snowmelt, which keeps road salt from flowing directly into streams.