Chloride Deposition and Distribution in Soils Along a Deiced Highway – Assessment Using Different Methods of Measurement

A comparison was made of the ability of three different methods to describe the deposition and distribution of chloride from deicing salt in the roadside environment along a highway: direct sampling of airborne deposition (including snow ploughing) in containers; soil sampling and analysis of chloride content in the topsoil; and direct current resistivity measurements. Each method showed a distribution with significant decreasing values with increasing distance from the road. Two transport mechanisms, splash and spray, were identified when describing the airborne deposition. A mathematical model that includes these two transport mechanisms was adopted, and the total amount of airborne deposition on the ground 0–100 m from the road was estimated to approximately 45% of the salt applied on the road. The main part of the chloride spread by air and ploughing ended up within 10 m from the road. The soil sampling and resistivity measurements also showed the highest impact within this distance. The variation in chloride content in the soils reflected a poorer drainage ability of fine-grained soils compared to more coarse-grained soils. The resistivity measurements represented an integrated value of the differences in geology, water content and salinity. The increase in resistivity with distance from road in the topsoil was interpreted to reflect the distribution of chloride from deicing salt.     

Effects of road deicing salt on chloride levels in four adirondack streams

A 2 yr study was conducted in 1987 and 1988 to determine the effects of road salt run-off from New York State highway 28N on chloride levels in four tributary streams to Rich Lake, located in the central Adirondack Mountains of New York. All four study streams exhibited significant increases in chloride concentrations at sampling stations located 50 and 100 m downstream from the highway. Chloride concentrations in downstream samples were as much as 31 times higher than comparative upstream samples. Elevated chloride levels continued throughout the 6 mo period following the termination of winter salt applications. A water chemistry profile developed for Rich Lake revealed a slight increase in chloride content at lower depths.     

Pollution of ground water by nutrients and fecal coliforms from lakeshore septic tank systems

The fate of wastewater effluents discharged from 17 septic tank disposal systems located near the shores of eight lakes in northeastern and eastern New York State was investigated. Fecal coliforms chloride, conductivity, dissolved 0₂, phosphate and various forms of N in ground water samples were analyzed. Of 46 ground water samples, 23 were found to be highly contaminated and 16 slightly contaminated. Only 7 were not contaminated by the wastewater effluent. Seventeen of the 23 highly contaminated samples were collected within 30.5 m of the discharge point of the septic systems. Eleven of these were collected from ground water less than 122 cm below ground level. Eight of the 16 slightly contaminated samples and 3 of the 7 noncontaminated samples were collected at a distance greater than 30.5 m. The depth to the ground water from ground surface and the distance of the ground water from the discharge point of the sewage system are main factors influencing pattern and severity of ground water contamination. This survey indicated that significant nutrient and fecal coliform contamination of lakeshore ground waters was occurring.

     

青藏高原地区典型公路路域水环境特征

[目的]阐明青藏高原地区公路路域水环境特征及影响因素,为青藏高速公路建设及水环境保护措施提供理论基础及科学依据。[方法]基于2015年6—7月对共玉公路(青海省共和县至玉树县)和青藏公路(格尔木市至拉萨市)路域水环境测试结果,对青藏高原地区公路路域水环境特征及影响因素进行分析。[结果]经T检验,青藏高原地区公路路域径流污染具有显著性差异,各水质指标存在不同程度的变异性,变异系数(Cv)变化范围为11%~396%,表明不同径流水体污染物因所处位置不同而有所差异;对比了典型路域水环境特征,新建公路(共玉公路)的水环境质量好于运营期公路(青藏公路),高速公路运营后对路域水环境影响明显;对不同径流水体进行了Person检验。结果显示,悬浮物(SS)与其他水质参数之间均表现出不同程度的相关性,说明SS不仅是青藏高原地区路域径流污染的主要污染物,且是其他污染物(重金属和化学需氧量COD)的载体。[结论]路面径流是路域水环境污染的重灾区,对降雨径流进行收集处理及采用新型的路面,布置径流处理措施,将有效地降低路域水环境的影响。     

Projections of Chloride Concentrations in Urban Lakes Receiving Road De-icing Salt

The chloride concentrations of urban lakes where road de-icing salt (NaCl) is used have increased to levels that can change natural lake-mixing behavior and influence aquatic life. A zero-dimensional model was formulated to project the long-term accumulation of chloride in urban lakes receiving runoff from roads on which road salt is applied. Four model parameters and an initial concentration were obtained by calibrating the model with 5 years (2004–2008) of monthly salinity data from seven lakes in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Twin Cities Metropolitan Area of Minnesota, USA. Three of the seven lakes appear headed towards year-round volume averaged chloride concentrations above the 230-mg/L chronic standard for impairment to aquatic habitat. The two lakes with the lowest projected equilibrium concentrations of chloride have already reached equilibrium. One lake is projected to take an additional 40 years to reach equilibrium under current climate conditions and current road salt application rates. If road salt application rates are reduced in future winters, it is projected that the lakes will respond with noticeably lower chloride concentrations within 5 to 10 years. If road salt applications are discontinued altogether, chloride concentrations are projected to drop to natural levels within 10 to 30 years in all seven lakes. A reduction of application rates by 50% would result in annual volumetric average chloride concentrations below the chronic standard.     

Nitrogen Cycle Disruption through the Application of De-icing Salts on Upland Highways

It is hypothesized that episodic introductions of road salt severely disrupt the soil nitrogen cycle at a range of spatial and temporal scales. A field-scale study has confirmed impacts on the nitrogen cycle in soil, soil solution and river samples. There is evidence that ammonium-N retention on cation exchange sites has been reduced by the presence of sodium ions, and that ammonium-N has been flushed from the exchange sites. Increases in soil pH have been caused in naturally acidic uplands. These have enhanced mineralization of organic-N, especially nitrification, leading to a reduction in the mineralizable-N pool of roadside soils. There is evidence to support the hypothesis that organic matter content has been lowered over decades either through desorption or dispersal processes. Multiple drivers are identified that contribute to the disruption of nitrogen cycling processes, but their relative importance is difficult to quantify unequivocally. The influence of road salt on soil and soil solution declines with distance from the highway, but impacts on water chemistry in a local stream are still strongly evident at some distance from the road.     

Terrestrial liming as a tool to mitigate acidification of Woods Lake,NY

The Soil Liming Model (SLiM) has been used to simulate lake and stream water quality response to different strategies for the application of limestone to subcatchment soils in the Woods Lake, NY watershed. Simulations using doses of 3, 10, or 30 t ha^–1 forecast that a dose in excess of 10 t ha^–1 must be applied to discharge areas in order to sufficiently improve water quality in the lake. At 3 t ha^–1 inlet stream water quality could support fish populations. As expected, treatment effectiveness is strongly influenced by subcatchment hydrologic flow paths. Where shallow flow predominates, soil liming provides a more effective tool for lake water quality improvement. In subcatchments drained primarily by ground water, the effect of liming on water quality is less pronounced albeit of longer duration. Based upon the results of these model simulations, the authors compare results of conventional lake liming to simulated watershed treatment predictions.     

Terrestrial liming as a tool to mitigate acidification of woods lake,NY

The Soil Liming Model (SLiM) has been used to simulate lake and stream water quality response to different strategies for the application of limestone to subcatchment soils in the Woods Lake, NY watershed. Simulations using doses of 3, 10, or 30 t ha⁻¹ forecast that a dose in excess of 10 t ha⁻¹ must be applied to discharge areas in order to sufficiently improve water quality in the lake. At 3 t ha⁻¹ inlet stream water quality could support fish populations. As expected, treatment effectiveness is strongly influenced by subcatchment hydrologic flow paths. Where shallow flow predominates, soil liming provides a more effective tool for lake water quality improvement. In subcatchments drained primarily by ground water, the effect of liming on water quality is less pronounced albeit of longer duration. Based upon the results of these model simulations, the authors compare results of conventional lake liming to simulated watershed treatment predictions.     

The Effectiveness of Capillary Barriers to Hydraulically Isolate Salt Contaminated Soils

The use of capillary barriers overlayed with topsoil to hydraulically isolate highly saline soils was investigated in a greenhouse study. Capillary barriers of 8 cm or greater thickness effectively prevented salt from migrating upward into the topsoil, thus allowing vegetation to be established. The water which drained from the capillary barrier had electrical conductivities on the order of one third that of the underlying saline soil, and should be acceptable for stream discharge. The capillary barriers reduced the flux of water and salt to the groundwater to about one third of that of the control. The results of the study show that capillary barriers can be used effectively to contain salt contaminated soils.     

Salinization of Mirror Lake by Road Salt

The salinization of Mirror Lake in the White Mountains of New Hampshire has been ongoing steadily since Interstate 93 (I-93) was built through the NE subcatchment of the lake in the fall and winter of 1969–1970. Salt added to I-93 during winter as a deicer has been transported to the lake by different quantified, hydrologic pathways, but primarily from the Northeast Tributary, which was intersected by I-93. Now, surprisingly, after the New Hampshire Department of Transportation has spent more than $500,000 on recent structural modifications to divert salt from I-93 away from the Northeast subcatchment of Mirror Lake, applications of salt to a small, town road traversing the other two subcatchments for the lake and servicing a new housing development, have become the major source of salt to the lake. Streamflow from these two subcatchments currently provides more than three times as much salt to the lake as from I-93, and the salt concentration in the lake continues to rise.     

Evaluation of the Pollutant Content in Road Runoff First Flush Waters

Road runoff waters are able to convey a number of organic and inorganic pollutants originated by different non-point sources and by the road surface itself. Such pollutants can enter aquatic systems, thus contributing to water and soil contamination. This study was aimed at evaluating the pollutant content in first flush runoff waters from a highway located in Central Italy. A water sampling apparatus was devised able to collect only the first 10 L of runoff water. Water samples were analyzed by atomic absorption spectroscopy, ion chromatography, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in order to determine metals, ions, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, respectively. Soil samples were collected as well for metal and hydrocarbon determination. Results obtained in a field experiment carried out in two different seasons and in two different sites along the highway are reported. The study was extended to water samples collected in a strip of the same road not yet in use. Results obtained showed a temporal and a spatial variability due to the different period rainfall and to sites features, respectively. Within such a variability, a substantial agreement, in terms of order of magnitude, with other studies carried out in European sites was observed.     

Redox Stratification and Salinization of Three Kettle Lakes in Southwest Michigan,USA

Redox stratification, especially hypolimnetic anoxia resulting from eutrophication, and salinization resulting from application of salts for road deicing is investigated in three kettle lakes in southwest Michigan. Two of the lakes (Asylum and Woods Lakes) are located in urban Kalamazoo, Michigan, and the third (Brewster Lake) is located in rural Hastings, Michigan. In summer, the water columns of all three lakes are distinctly redox stratified, with anoxic hypolimnia and significant accumulation of reduced solutes (e.g., Mn(II), Fe(II), ammonia) in the lake bottom waters. Extremely elevated conductivity, chloride, sodium, and potassium levels are observed in the urban Asylum and Woods Lakes compared to the rural Brewster Lake, presumably due to runoff of road salt deicers applied in the surrounding watershed. These significant changes in water quality are of concern because they may detrimentally impact lake mixing, biodiversity, and ecosystem function in the urban lakes.     

Roadside Scots Pine as an Indicator of Deicing Salt Use – A Comparative Study from Two Consecutive Winters

The accumulation of salt and visibleinjuries on Scots pine needles (Pinus sylvestris) were investigated in a field study duringtwo years 1992–1994. Two sampling plots 4 km apart alongthe highway 9 in eastern Finland were selected. AtSavo-Karjala region, the use of road salt was reducedto about one tenth from normal (slightly salted site),whereas, the use of road salt continued normally atthe Central Finland region (heavily salted site).Current, one-year and two-year-old needles weresampled eight times during years 1992–1994. Visibleinjuries in the pine needles were recorded and sodium,chloride and calcium concentrations analysed. Duringthe two-year study, reduced use of deicing saltclearly reduced the accumulation of salt components,sodium and chloride, and induction of visible injuriesin the pine needles growing closest to the roadside.No changes in needle calcium concentrations wereobserved. In the sampling plot along the heavilysalted site, browning and premature needle loss wasdetected especially during late spring. Deleteriouseffects of road salt did not reach far from the road,since at distances of 20 to 30 m, the saltconcentrations and visible injuries in needles wereinsignificant. Since no changes in soil saltconcentrations between sites were observed, aerialsalt spray is considered more important to saltaccumulation in needles than root uptake. The changesin weather conditions have a significant effect on theaccumulation of salt in needles and occurrence of thevisible injuries. Great fluctuations in temperatureand salt use during winter exacerbate the needleinjuries. Thus, the salt concentrations and visibleinjuries caused by such concentrations of salt shouldalways be considered with respect to the climatic conditions.     

Effects of Riparian Denitrification on Stream Nitrate-Evidence from Isotope Analysis and Extreme Nitrate Leaching during Rainfall-

The effects of riparian denitrification on stream nitrate were investigated by detailed soil water observations and isotope analysis at a small headwater catchment in an urban area near Tokyo, central Japan. In the base flow period, stream nitrate concentration (<100 µM) was comparable with that of riparian ground water which had less nitrate than unsaturated soil water. Nitrogen isotope analysis showed that the consumption of nitrate by denitrification took place in riparian ground water, suggesting that denitrification is an important process to control nitrate leaching to streams. During rainfall, the concentration of stream nitrate increased up to 400 µM, which was comparable with that of pre-event soil water. The fact that soil water nitrate directly leached to streams indicated that the riparian denitrification process did not work during rainfall because of the rapid discharge of water. A decrease of denitrification effects is a possible reason for high stream nitrate concentration during rainfall.     

Distribution of Road Salt Residues, Heavy Metals and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons across a Highway-Forest Interface

Automobile traffic pollutes roadside environments with a range of contaminants. In this study, we investigate the distribution patterns of different contaminant classes in topsoils across a highway-forest interface north-east of Vienna, Austria, in order to assess spatial pollutant distribution and evaluate the filtering effect of roadside forests. We collected soil samples along transects perpendicular to the highway, and analyzed the soils for road salt residues (Na), total and mobile heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr) as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Roadside soil pollution was highly heterogeneous. All contaminants followed an exponential-like decrease with distance from the road, reaching background levels at 5 to 10 m from the road curb. Traffic-born heavy metals in the immediate roadside zone tended to be more mobile than heavy metals of predominantly geogenic origin at greater distances from the road; the presence of road salt residues could have contributed to the elevated heavy metal mobility near the road. The forest vegetation acted as filter for PAHs shown by a sharp concentration increase at the forest edge. PAHs are likely transported with airborne soot particles that are scavenged by the wax-coated coniferous needles at our study site.     

Effects of the 921 earthquake on the water quality in the upper stream at the Guandaushi experimental forest

A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan on September 21, 1999. The stream water chemistry (pH, total alkalinity, conductivity, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, ammonium, fluoride, chloride, sulfate, and nitrate) has been monitored since 1995 at the Guandaushi forestry riparian zone in central Taiwan. Collected data was used as a basis for comparing pre- and post-earthquake impacts. The pH, conductivity, and concentrations of Na, Ca, Mg, SO₄, and HCO₃ in stream water were lowest during the summer season, when stream water discharge was highest. On the other hand, the lowest concentrations of Cl, NH₄, and NO₃ in stream water occurred during the winter season, when stream water discharge was lowest. Also, K and F showed very little seasonal fluctuation in concentration. Downward trends in K and Ca were found 14 months prior to the earthquake; although, an upward trend occurred in NH₄ at the same time.     

Evaluation of Metal Loadings and Bioavailability in Air, Water and Soil Along Two Highways of British Columbia, Canada

A comprehensive multi-media monitoring field investigation, which included: atmospheric, storm-water runoff, road sediment and soil samples, was carried out at two highway sites in Vancouver, Canada, focused on Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, and Zn, due to their prevalence in most highway environments, both locally and worldwide. Metal potential bioavailability was evaluated through sequential extraction in the case of particulates and via exchange with a chelating resin for highway runoff. Road sediment showed in most cases a close resemblance with runoff and atmospheric metal concentrations (Fe > Zn > Mn > Cu > Pb), suggesting that road sediment is a useful indicator of current metal loadings and a key factor influencing the quality of urban watersheds. Metals showed increasing bioavailability with decreasing particle size in all samples. Thus, bioavailability was low in roaddust and roadside soils, intermediate in dustfall, and highest in atmospheric suspended particulates and runoff. Speciation analyses in different environmental media suggested that Zn is a metal of future potential concern. Zinc was second in concentration to Fe in most dust, air and water samples, and exhibited the highest mobility and potential bioavailability.     

Ectogenic Meromixis of Lake Hallst?ttersee, Austria Induced by Waste Water Intrusions from Salt Mining

Lake Hallstättersee is a holomictic alpine lake, which is influenced by salt mining since the middle Bronze Age. Beside the constant saline waste water load, two massive brine spills loaded the lake with additional 16,900 tons sodium chloride (??10,250 tons Cl^?) from 1977 to 1979 and 3,000 tons salt (??1,820 tons Cl^?) in 2005. The effect of waste water intrusions from salt mining on stratification of Lake Hallstättersee was analysed over a period of 40 years. Water density, dissolved oxygen and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations were measured and an exponential model was fitted to describe the wash-out of chloride from Lake Hallstättersee after the brine spills. Furthermore, the time required returning to holomixis and steady chloride content after the second brine spill was estimated. During the whole sampling period the minimum and maximum volume-weighted annual mean chloride concentrations were 23.58 mg/L in 1979 and 3.19 mg/L in 1998. However, the mixing regime of Lake Hallstättersee, as well as the chloride concentrations, varied considerably and exhibited three holomictic and three meromictic periods between 1970 and 2009. Holomictic periods were observed when the yearly density gradient was below 0.06 kg/m³, deepwater oxygen in spring above 4 mg/L and consequently declining TP concentration in the deepest water layer below 60 mg/m³, otherwise meromictic periods were observed. Our study showed that Hallstättersee was 13 years ectogenic meromictic and 27 years holomictic during the study period.     

Rinsing of Saline Water from Road Salt in a Sandy Soil by Infiltrating Rainfall: Experiments,Simulations, and Implications

Saline melt water from road salt applications that has percolated into a fine sandy soil in winter is rinsed out of the soil by infiltrating rainwater in the following warmer seasons. This sequence of saturated and unsaturated flow processes associated with saline water transport in a fine sandy soil was studied by simulation and exploratory laboratory experiments. Experiments in soil columns of 300-μm sand revealed that two rinses of pure water, each of one pore volume, were sufficient to reduce the salt concentration by 99% of its original value in the soil column. Simulated time variations of salt concentration in the effluent from the column agreed with experimental results. Based on simulated and experimental results, a sandy soil must become saturated to experience pore water flow in order to efficiently rinse saline snowmelt water. Depending on the saturated hydraulic conductivity and the soil depth, days, weeks, or months of freshwater infiltration in summer are needed to rinse saline melt water from an unsaturated sandy soil after road salt applications in winter. This explains findings of significant salt concentrations in surface and shallow groundwater during summer months, long after road salt application and infiltration has ceased.