Nov. 6 webinar – How does road salt impact the river?
FLOW is participating in SALT WATCH – learn what it is and why it’s important
R
oad salt is everywhere during winter months. It keeps us safe on roads and sidewalks, but it can also pose a threat to fish and wildlife as well as human health.
Fish and bugs that live in freshwater streams can’t survive in extra salty water. And many of us (more than 118 million Americans) depend on local streams for drinking water. Water treatment plants are not equipped to filter out the extra salt, so it can end up in your tap water and even corrode your pipes.
Abby Hileman of the Izaak Walton League of America will discuss how they are studying the effects of road salt on our waterways. The webinar will cover the following topics:
- How Salt Watch began
- Goals of the program
- What is road/winter salt
- Salt impacts on wildlife, drinking water, and infrastructure
- How to participate in Salt Watch
- When to monitor
- What to do next (advocacy actions)
- Regional or national results
FLOW began monitoring in 2022 and plans to continue this year. We welcome more volunteers so we can obtain a clearer picture of how road salt is impacting our watershed.
VIEW THE RECORDING ON OUR FLOW’S TUBE CHANNEL HERE
Abby Hileman is the Salt Watch Coordinator at the Izaak Walton League of America. In her role, Abby leads the efforts of the Salt Watch program, expanding the project into new regions across the country, reaching new groups of volunteers, and providing resources to make lasting change—from data to action. Abby grew up in Western Pennsylvania, where she began her journey as a lifelong conservationist. She has a passion for connecting people to their communities and to nature and believes that small scale actions add up to make a big impact on conservation success.
