JEFFERSON CITY (Mo. (KMIZ)
Mid-Missouri is greeted with slushy roads the day after a major snowstorm. The snow melts into streams and ditches, and the roads become slushy. The chemicals used for treating those roads are still there as the melted snow flows into streams and eventually ends up in the Missouri River.
The Missouri River is where the snow melts in Mid-Missouri. The salt and brine road treatments are necessary to keep pedestrians and drivers safe. However, they also disrupt the freshwater ecosystem of Missouri River. Environmental scientists and road specialists are working to reduce the environmental impact of road treatments.
Safety first
Safety of those who use roads is the main priority when looking at road treatments. Eric Landwehr, director of Cole County Department of Public Works said that while the county attempts to reduce salt in rivers, it cannot prevent salt from getting into the water.
“We have to treat roads, it’s an important safety aspect. Landwehr stated that salt does get into the streams. This happens with every agency that performs this work. “We try to be mindful of what’s going in the streams, but safety is our first priority.”
Public works determine the exact amount of salt and water used for each storm. Landwehr explained that they need to consider temperature, rainfall and other factors in order to determine the most effective mixture.
Environmental impact
The Missouri River is North America’s longest flowing river. It provides 40% Missouri’s drinking water, and, as Steve Schnarr has stated. Missouri River ReliefAccording to the Missourian, it is a popular spot for recreation.
Schnarr said, “There are so countless people that just love getting to the rivers and getting down to the water and enjoying the nature down there and all of the wildlife.”
Schnarr considers Missouri River to be the foundation of Mid-Missouri’s culture. But salt used in road treatments can cause disruption to its freshwater ecosystem.
Kate Trauth is an associate professor at University of Missouri’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She says the chemicals can be harmful to river-dwelling animals.
Trauth stated, “When we think of the quality water that (aquatic animal) require, it is obvious that they would have evolved in a certain environment.” “Then, if we change that environment then we can just have all kinds of problems.”
Reducing the impact
There are many ways to reduce the environmental impact from road treatment. Trauth stated that many public workers, including the Missouri Department of Transportation use natural alternatives such as beet juice to treat roads whenever possible.
Trauth states that the best way for road treatments to have a less negative environmental impact is to make sure the crews use the correct amount salt or other treatments.
Trauth stated that “(Public works crews are) professionals, they work with this and they understand the concentrations as well as how to apply it.” “Sometimes you may have private properties such as parking lots, sidewalks or driveways. There is a right to be concerned about safety. However, we may be using perhaps more salt than is necessary.
Trauth believes education is the solution.
Trauth stated, “In many areas education is crucial to say how much you should spread around to be effective for your temperatures that you have.”
Solutions for government
Cole County An ordinanceDecember 2021 adopted a law that requires all future developments within the county to include retention pools and other mitigation measures to filter chemicals out stormwater before it reaches rivers. Landwehr stated that this strategy is used in many other places across the country to prevent water contamination, but it’s a new one for Cole County.
Landwehr stated, “Since this is new, we haven’t had any development falling under the new ordinance yet.”
