Road Salt and Your Drinking Water

Road Salt may be Contaminating Your Drinking Water

Those living in areas with bad winter weather are familiar with the large plows and salt spreaders used to help keep the roads safe for travel.

One unexpected and serious side effect of heavy use of road salts and de-icing chemicals in the winter months may be found in your drinking water.


Damage to the nearby soil, vegetation, birds and to other wildlife is well documented. Even worse, the chemicals in road salts are finding their way into our water sources.

Road salt compounds can contaminate lakes, ponds, rivers, streams and water reservoirs by direct runoff or by moving through the soil and into groundwater. As sodium and chloride levels increase in the winter months, they can affect quality of roadside water sources and render the water undrinkable.

Other substances in road salts and de-icers include chemicals such as ferrocyanide, chloride and other metals that are measured in parts-per-billion.

Your Water May be at Risk

In the Northern U.S., bad winter weather is a fact of life. But today, even some southern regions of the country are increasingly hammered by snow and ice storms ever year. And road salts are just one potential problem that can affect the quality of your water supply.