Salt your Dinner, not our Drinking Water

It’s no secret that we rely heavily on road salt during our Wisconsin winters. Salt isn’t just put down on roads and highways during the winter months, it’s also spread on sidewalks, parking lots and driveways across the city. But our dependence on road salt comes with a heavy environmental price. Madison Water Utility Public Information Officer Amy Barrilleaux will discuss the evidence of road salt infiltration at some Madison drinking water wells. She’ll explain why public engagement around this issue may be the key to saving our drinking water from salt. Kevin Masarik, Groundwater Specialist, will share well water data to illustrate what we know about chloride in Wisconsin’s groundwater. Local land-use activities that influence chloride loading include fertilizer impacts, road salt activities, and septic system drainfields.

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