We reported earlier this winter on the importance to get a quality car washed after a winter storm, to remove road salt from the body and undercarriage and prevent wear and tear.
New Jersey uses chemical compounds to keep drivers on the road during and before storms. These chemicals are not as easy to wash off, but they help keep them moving.
Doug O’Malley from Environment New Jersey, director, said that this is a problem for everyone, regardless of whether they’re behind the wheel.
O’Malley stated, “If road salt is corrosive to your car, it’s probably not good environment-wise and certainly not good water supply-wise either.”
O’Malley did not speculate on what this winter might bring. However, in a typical New Jersey winter he stated that the state Department of Transportation dumped 300,000 tonnes of rock salt and 1.7million gallons of brine onto its roads and bridges.
When a cleansing rain comes, those roads and bridges are finally spared from the onslaught of salt — but the salt has to go somewhere.
It doesn’t disappear. O’Malley stated, “It ends up in waterways and in drinking water.”
He also stated that the lead was present in large quantities. O’Malley stated that Brick officials had to fight a lead problem in their drinking waters several years ago because the Metedeconk River was so salty that it was stripping out lead from residents’ pipes.
According to O’Malley in New York, salt contamination has been detected at about 25% of all wells. Salt levels have also increased exponentially in Dutchess County.
Could the same thing, or worse, occur here? O’Malley suggested that winter road crews might not be as judicious as they should be.
He said, “We must prioritize road safety, but it is important that we do more to ensure we don’t use more salt than we should.”
Governor. O’Malley stated that the state may only be able to bring in the right amount of pre-storm brine, despite Phil Murphy’s criticisms of his administration’s reliance on it after the November 2018 snowstorm that clogged the state’s roads.
O’Malley stated, “Brining doesn’t have to be the end-all and-be-all. But it’s much better than salting after or during a hurricane.” He added that crews could use 75% more salt if they wait until after the fact.
Patrick Lavery is New Jersey’s afternoon news anchor. Follow him Follow @plavery1015 or email [email protected].