Cape Breton Highlands National Park of Canada

How Much Road Salt Gets in Wetlands?

Too much salt in the environment can be deadly to salamaders, frogs and fish.
© Parks Canada

Road salt is essential for safe winter driving but can be deadly to sensitive plants and animals, especially freshwater life. The main effect occurs within a few metres of the road but groundwater can also get contaminated, potentially affecting drinking water.

Is road salt contributing to problems in highland water systems? Cape Breton Highlands National Park has been monitoring chloride (salt) levels in wetlands near the Cabot Trail to determine base levels of road salt contamintation.

Surface water analysis will aid in determining impacts.
© Parks Canada

Improving how the park stores and applies road salt will help reduce salt run-off into the environment. One of the main changes planned for next winter is the use of trucks that pre-wet salt so that it sticks better to the road and works faster.

Other changes include the construction of better storage and vehicle wash facilities. Salt-laden vehicle wash water will be reused in the mixture required for pre-wetting road salt. Construction of the wash facility in the Cheticamp compound will begin this summer.

Within the park, six areas have been determined to be highly vulnerable.
© Parks Canada

Although the park hopes to significantly reduce salt run-off into the environment, public safety remains the number one objective of the winter road maintenance program.