Winter, Road Salt & Your Water: The Truth About the Salt from Our Streets

Winter time in northern states can be brutal on our cars, our energy bills, and on our psyche. Seasonal Affective Disorder (appropriately called SAD), according to Mayo Clinic, happens for most people from late fall and through the winter months, with short days, cold temperatures, and gray skies. Energy bills can double and sometimes even triple as we try to keep the winter outside. And the salt that they spread over the roads to keep us between the lines deteriorates the cars we’re driving.

Winter can be brutal. Even on our Taps.

But what is the winter’s effect on our drinking water? Aside from the risks of freezing septic systems and water pipes in our homes and freezing water mains and towers in our cities, how is the winter impacting the water that comes from our taps?

With all of the salt that is dumped on our streets and freeways to melt the snow and ice, it’s worth considering how it’s impacting our lives. The truth is that it is changing aquatic ecosystems as well as in the water that comes from our taps, and both of these are effecting our lives. Rising sodium chloride levels in streams, lakes, and rivers from runoff impact the abilities of aquatic life to process foods and can create “dead zones” of salt deposits in the water. These groundwater sources eventually feed our water sources and impact the taste and quality of our water. The contaminated water can be especially impacting to people who have high blood pressure, but its risks are not limited to them.

Read more here. 

So what’s the condition of the water coming from your tap? Find out! The safer your water, the healthier your family.

At Tap Water Truth, we are committed to providing resources to help you make the best decisions about your water. You can have your water tested by contacting Water Doctors, or you can reach out to us directly and we’ll get you in touch with someone who can help.