Fall Salt Pollution Stream Snapshot
Fall Salt Pollution Stream Snapshot
October 15 – October 18 EDT
Want to Get Involved in Community Science?
Stroud Water Research Center is again planning a baseflow salt snapshot to assess year-round salt pollution levels and patterns in streams and rivers, helping researchers and community members better understand how road salt accumulates across different landscapes.
The target sampling date is Thursday, October 15, and the priority date range is Thursday, October 15 through Sunday, October 18, weather permitting.
All sample collection should be done during baseflow conditions when water levels are stable and not influenced by storm runoff.
In early October, all participants should use 1- to 10-day forecasts to ensure they collect baseflow samples (baseflow = a stream’s resting state, fed mostly by groundwater rather than storm runoff). The recommendation for a baseflow sample is no significant rain (~0.25 inches or more) in the 48 hours before sample collection. Significant rainfall will require sampling outside the target October 15–18 range.
The salt snapshot provides a unique, hands-on opportunity to generate data illustrating that road salt contaminates our watersheds year-round. This data will help start local conversations and shine a public spotlight on this critical water quality issue. The level of road salt contamination highly depends on how much road salt private applicators and municipalities use and how they handle it. Therefore, local data are a vital part of the conversation.
Questions? Please contact Community Science Facilitator David Bressler at dbressler@stroudcenter.org.
Get Involved
(If you’re working as a group, please have your leader register.)
(Request chloride test strips and conductivity meters after you’ve figured out what you’ll need.)
(For sample drop-off, to encourage participation, and to share on social media).
Instructions and Resources
Use the technical guidance, online data sheet, and online map throughout your site selection, planning, sampling, and analysis process.
- Snapshot guidance document.
- Online data sheet.
- Online salt map. For past salt snapshots, click the Map Layers icon in the map menu, then check the boxes to enable layers.
- Registration and supply request status check.
Contribute Samples
The organizations listed below will accept water samples from the public for analysis and posting to the Salt Map.
| Organization | Date and Time | Location | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foodshed Alliance | Thursday, October 15 and Friday, October 16, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day. | Memory Park, Newton, NJ 07860 | See registration form |
| Penn State Extension Montgomery County | Friday, October 16, 3 to 6:30 p.m. | 1015 Bridge Road, Collegeville, PA 19426 | Master Watershed Steward Eric Frankhouser |
| Penn State Extension Bucks County | Saturday, October 17, 1 to 4 p.m. | 576 Penns Park Rd, Newtown, PA 18940 | Master Watershed Steward Jim Walter |
Learn More
- Discover how road salt is polluting fresh water.
- Read the recap of our winter salt snapshot, “Winter Salt Week Unites Those Concerned About Fresh Water.”
- View the data on a winter salt map.