Changes in Water Quality in an Urban Stream Following the Use of Organically Derived Deicing Products

Albright, Matthew F.

doi:10.1080/07438140509354419

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Anoxic conditions caused by the breakdown of the organic additives in ponds and wetlands during the spring could negatively affect breeding populations of amphibians and insects. Also, as discussed in Albright (2005), the phosphorus found in the organic salt additives is not bioavailable to algae. It is important to note, however, that microbial communities are able to metabolize phosphorus in a variety of organic and inorganic states (White & Metcalf 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, very little information exists on the ecological effects of organic additives, especially in aquatic communities (Taylor et al 2010;Fay & Shi 2012). One study showed that run-off after the application of organic distillation by-products did not lead to increased phosphorus loading in aquatic systems, because the phosphorus was in an unusable form (Albright 2005). However, over time, these unusable forms of phosphorus from the organic additives may be transformed into usable phosphorus by microbial action (discussed in Albright 2005).…”

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confidence: 99%

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How common road salts and organic additives alter freshwater food webs: in search of safer alternatives

Schuler

Hintz

Jones

et al. 2017

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Summary The application of deicing road salts began in the 1940s and has increased drastically in regions where snow and ice removal is critical for transportation safety. The most commonly applied road salt is sodium chloride (NaCl). However, the increased costs of NaCl, its negative effects on human health, and the degradation of roadside habitats has driven transportation agencies to seek alternative road salts and organic additives to reduce the application rate of NaCl or increase its effectiveness. Few studies have examined the effects of NaCl in aquatic ecosystems, but none have explored the potential impacts of road salt alternatives or additives on aquatic food webs. We assessed the effects of three road salts (NaCl, MgCl2 and ClearLane™) and two road salts mixed with organic additives (GeoMelt™ and Magic Salt™) on food webs in experimental aquatic communities, with environmentally relevant concentrations, standardized by chloride concentration. We found that NaCl had few effects on aquatic communities. However, the microbial breakdown of organic additives initially reduced dissolved oxygen. Additionally, microbial activity likely transformed unusable phosphorus from the organic additives to usable phosphorus for algae, which increased algal growth. The increase in algal growth led to an increase in zooplankton abundance. Finally, MgCl2 – a common alternative to NaCl – reduced compositional differences of zooplankton, and at low concentrations increased the abundance of amphipods. Synthesis and applications. Our results indicate that alternative road salts (to NaCl), and road salt additives can alter the abundance and composition of organisms in freshwater food webs at multiple trophic levels, even at low concentrations. Consequently, road salt alternatives and additives might alter ecosystem function and ecosystem services. Therefore, transportation agencies should use caution in applying road salt alternatives and additives. A comprehensive investigation of road salt alternatives and road salt additives should be conducted before wide‐scale use is implemented. Further research is also needed to determine the impacts of salt additives and alternatives on higher trophic levels, such as amphibians and fish.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

How common road salts and organic additives alter freshwater food webs: in search of safer alternatives

Schuler

Hintz

Jones

et al. 2017

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…Young fishes show negative effects at much lower levels, but even so, these concentrations are roughly equivalent to those in direct road runoff, much higher than levels occurring after dilution by other water sources. Effects near roads are, of course, more evident than for points further from the actual area of salt application with reasonably sharp declines in concentrations within tens of meters of the road 8,19 . Consequently, there are numerous well‐documented cases of death of trees, 20,21 alterations of soil chemistry, 22 and impacts on reaches of streams adjacent to roads (see later).…”

Section: Review Of Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Effects near roads are, of course, more evident than for points further from the actual area of salt application with reasonably sharp declines in concentrations within tens of meters of the road. 8,19 Consequently, there are numerous well-documented cases of death of trees, 20,21 alterations of soil chemistry, 22 and impacts on reaches of streams adjacent to roads (see later).…”

Section: Review Of Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emerging indirect and long‐term road salt effects on ecosystems

Findlay

Kelly

2011

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

159

122

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Widespread use of salts as deicing agents on roads has been perceived as a significant source of environmental and economic damage. Early studies focused on near-road and short-term effects where concentrations can exceed several grams per liter. Evidence is accumulating that the use of salts has significant effects over broader areas, longer time frames, and is affecting a range of ecological processes. Concentrations of NaCl can be elevated throughout an ecosystem to >100 mg Cl(-) /L, which may have nonlethal and possibly subtle effects on sensitive life stages of several organisms. NaCl seems subject to retention within terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, thus prolonging the actual duration of exposure and leading to elevated warm-season concentrations when reproduction may be occurring or other sensitive life stages are present. Many of the alternatives to NaCl reduce some of these negative effects, although are currently cost prohibitive for large-scale use. Some techniques for managing application rates are improvements in technology, while others involve novel mixtures of organic compounds that may have new environmental consequences. The increasing evidence of these widespread and persistent environmental consequences must be brought into decisions on deicing procedures.

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“…Young fishes show negative effects at much lower levels, but even so, these concentrations are roughly equivalent to those in direct road runoff, much higher than concentrations occurring after dilution by water sources. Effects near roads are, of course, more evident than for points further from the actual area of salt application with reasonably sharp declines in concentrations within tens of meters of the road (Albright, 2005;Lax and Peterson, 2009). …”

Section: Invertebrate Species Toxicitymentioning

confidence: 98%

Water Quality Implications and the Toxicological Effects of Chloride-Based Deicers

Nazari¹,

Fay²,

Jungwirth³

et al. 2015

Environmental Sustainability in Transportation Infrastructure

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Traditionally, the main priority of winter road maintenance has been assigned to level of service, cost-effectiveness, and corrosion rather than other less wellcharacterized effects such as impacts to water quality. It is increasingly vital to understand the environmental footprint of deicers, including their impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Chloride based deicers do not degrade in the natural environment and their application on winter pavements can lead to accumulation in adjacent environments over time. Information presented to date on deicers generally includes chemical composition and performance of deicers, while additional information on deicer aquatic toxicity is needed to enable fully-informed decisions by stakeholders. This work presents a state-of-the-knowledge review of the impacts of chloride based deicers and additives on water and aquatic species, and the issue of heavy metal leaching. Toxicity associated with the direct effect of deicers or with the indirect effect via their interactions with runoff chemistry is reviewed as well. This work will assist the stakeholder agencies in the search for effective practices to reduce the toxicity and other water quality implications of chloride based deicers.

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Changes in Water Quality in an Urban Stream Following the Use of Organically Derived Deicing Products

Cited by 14 publications

References 9 publications

How common road salts and organic additives alter freshwater food webs: in search of safer alternatives

How common road salts and organic additives alter freshwater food webs: in search of safer alternatives

Emerging indirect and long‐term road salt effects on ecosystems

Water Quality Implications and the Toxicological Effects of Chloride-Based Deicers

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