The Effects of Road De-Icers on Water Quality in the Nashua River in Massachusetts

Abstract

The salinization of freshwater rivers can have various negative effects on aquatic organisms, their ecosystems, and the quality of drinking water. Over the last several decades, freshwater salinity has increased in New England due to increased use of road de-icing salts during the winter, as well as other factors such as urbanization and agricultural runoff. The purpose of this study is to evaluate seasonal trends in river salinity from an upstream to downstream gradient as well as to examine acute river responses to road de-icer applications. Six HOBO conductivity loggers were placed along the Nashua River in North-Central Massachusetts to determine the trends in salinity. Data collection began on October 1, 2020 with data points collected continuously every 30 minutes. Soil samples were collected in the fall and winter to determine road salt effects on soil. Soil samples were analyzed from saturated soil paste extracts for specific conductance, pH and chloride. We expect urban downstream sites to have higher salinity than rural upstream sites due to the higher levels of runoff from salt applied to roads. If we find that more urban, downstream sites do have higher salinity and SC, we can assume that road de-icer applications in the winter do have an impact on freshwater rivers. We will report data on the quality of soil and water samples collected from two seasons to show the spatiotemporal effects that road de-icers have over such time periods on freshwater rivers in Massachusetts.

Robert Carpenter | Earth and Geographic Sciences | Faculty Sponsor Elyse Clark