Update: Due to severe cold, hazardous ice and snow cover, and related logistical obstacles that make it difficult to collect water samples safely, Stroud Water Research Center recommends that participants delay stream sampling until conditions improve. Many small streams across our region are frozen with icy banks. Parking on side roads is also difficult in many areas.

If you have already collected samples, you may bring them to Borough Hall between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. (Note that this is an earlier end time.) We’d love to see you. We’ll analyze the samples and upload the data. We won’t be able to hold the demonstrations and displays as originally planned. We’ll simply be testing water samples.

If you haven’t collected samples yet, please wait until conditions improve. Conditions are challenging and, in many cases, unsafe. The data portal will remain open. We’d be happy to make arrangements to test any samples you collect at a later date.

• When: Friday, January 30, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Where: Borough Hall, 401 E. Gay St., West Chester, PA 19380.
• Cost: Free. RSVPs are appreciated but not required.

Is Your Local Stream Getting Salty?

Salt keeps us safe on icy roads — but it’s also quietly harming waterways. Every winter, millions of tons of salt are spread on roads, sidewalks, and driveways to combat snow and ice. While it’s effective at reducing slippery conditions, the consequences for freshwater ecosystems, infrastructure, and drinking water are profound, especially as winter salt use has risen dramatically over the past 50 years.

If you live in the West Chester area and are worried about salt pollution in your local stream, collect a water sample and bring it to the testing event. Volunteers will test it for chloride and conductivity, and Stroud Water Research Center scientists will add the data to the interactive salt map at stroudcenter.info/saltmap.

Get Your Streamwater Tested

1. Download and print the salt snapshot sample data sheet. (This is optional, but will expedite testing at the event.)
2. While at your sample site, record the location as precisely as possible by dropping a pin in a mapping app on your phone.
3. Collect about two cups of water in a clean container for each sample.
4. Fill out the data form with your sample information.
5. Bring your samples and data form to the West Chester Borough Hall between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Friday, January 30.

Questions? Email communications@stroudcenter.org.