Oversalting your sidewalk or driveway harms local streams and potentially even your drinking water – 3 tips to deice responsibly

Excess road and sidewalk salt flows into storm drains and ultimately into area streams and rivers, affecting fish and other aquatic organisms.

By: Steven Goldsmith, Villanova University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: January 27, 2026

Words: 1,124

Last Updated: 21 hours, 41 minutes ago

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By Steven Goldsmith, Villanova University

Snow has returned to the Philadelphia region, and along with it the white residues on streets and sidewalks that result from the over-application of deicers such as sodium chloride, or rock salt, as well as more modern salt alternatives.

As an environmental scientist who studies water pollution, I know that much of the excess salt flows into storm drains and ultimately into area streams and rivers.

For example, a …

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