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Impacts of Road Salting on Water Quality in Fractured Crystalline Bedrock
Author(s) -
Vitale Sarah A.,
Robbins Gary A.,
McNaboe Lukas A.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq2016.10.0411
Subject(s) - bedrock , salting , water quality , geology , hydrology (agriculture) , mining engineering , environmental science , geochemistry , geomorphology , geotechnical engineering , chemistry , ecology , food science , biology
Many rural communities depend on bedrock wells as a primary water source, which raises the issue as to whether increasing amounts of salt application are affecting bedrock water quality and to what degree. Through wellbore profiling, this study investigated changes in specific conductance in two crystalline bedrock wells at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT, from 2003 to 2016, with particular emphasis on the impacts of increased salt application with a change in deicing practices at the university after 2009. Hourly specific conductance measurements were collected in 2014 to determine how water source may affect wellbore concentrations seasonally. Chloride was found to be highly persistent in the bedrock, with concentrations consistently increasing from 2003 to 2016 despite year‐to‐year variations in salt application. A dramatic increase in chloride occurred in the wellbores in response to the change in deicing practices, with an immediate response in fractures having a direct connection to the overburden. In light of the long‐term implications of road salting on subsurface chloride contamination, this study argues that consideration be given to deicing management strategies to reduce road salt contamination. Core Ideas Chloride is highly persistent in groundwater in crystalline bedrock. Chloride in bedrock wells increased in response to a change in deicing practices. Stored chloride contributes to wellbore concentrations beyond the salting season.