Road Salt Contaminating Fresh Water Lakes Around North America

According to scientists, increasingly salty lakes pose health risks not just to their fish and plant life but to the people who drink their water.

2 minute read

April 14, 2017, 11:00 AM PDT

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


Bighorn Sheep

These bighorn sheep like some salt with their road, but it's not good for many animals and fish. | Larry Lamsa / Flickr

A study published in Proceedings of the Natural Academy of the Sciences found that in the 371 lakes observed, 44% showed evidence of long-term salinization. "No federal body tracks how much salt gets spread on our roadways or makes its way into our lakes. So the researchers hoovered up a vast number of different data sets, produced by states, municipalities and universities," Ben Guarino reports in the Washington Post. The study has big implications for drinking water around the country. "Extrapolating that finding for all of North America, at least 7,770 lakes are at risk of elevated salt levels — a likely underestimate," Guarino reports. This salt is coming, in large part, off roads and highways.

These salts cannot all be filtered out of drinking water. "Increased salt in drinking water poses health problems to humans who have kidney trouble, use dialysis or have hypertension," Guarino writes. And while some suggest that better management of salt use could curb the issue, there's evidence that salt consumption may continue to rise. "In winter 2014, the Wall Street Journal reported that road salt prices surged by 20 percent due to a huge demand," Guarino writes.

This exposes another challenge to the preservation of lakes in North America, which lost some of their protections following legislation from a Republican Congress, signed by President Trump, repealing Surface Mining's Stream Protection Rule.

Monday, April 10, 2017 in The Washington Post

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Crowds of people walking and biking along waterfront in Sunset Dunes Park in San Francisco, California on a sunny day.

San Francisco Opens Park on Former Great Highway

The Sunset Dunes park’s grand opening attracted both fans and detractors.

April 22 - Mission Local

Portland Oregon Bus

Oregon Legislature to Consider Transit Funding Laws

One proposal would increase the state’s payroll tax by .08% to fund transit agencies and expand service.

April 22 - KATU.com

Houston, Texas skyline.

Housing Vouchers as a Key Piece of Houston’s Housing Strategy

The Houston Housing Authority supports 19,000 households through the housing voucher program.

April 22 - Urban Edge