There is growing concern about the environmental tradeoffs of road salt in winter. Although effective at melting snow and ice to improve driving safety, the salt and de-icing chemicals run off into our rivers and lakes, impacting water quality and wildlife habitat for many species of plants and animals.
Runoff from municipal “snow dumps” can be especially problematic, containing gravel, salt and hydrocarbons from oil and gas, among other things.
Newly released results from a Moncton wetland project are showing promise as part of the solution. City staff have been monitoring the water quality of snowmelt water collected by a wetland connected to the Berry Mills snow disposal facility since 2014.
The small constructed wetland was created by Ducks Unlimited Canada and strategically placed between the Berry Mills snow dump and a local watercourse, where it holds and filters the snowmelt. “Our environmental services division, Conservation PRO, has a long history of using our research and science to build constructed wetlands for filtering contaminants and excess nutrients,” said Adam Campbell, Atlantic Manager of Operations for Ducks Unlimited Canada. “It is great to adapt a proven model for this purpose.”
Overall, results showed a reduction in chloride levels between 66% to 93% when comparing water samples from the inlet and outlet of the wetland, suggesting it is functioning well in reducing chloride levels.
“We’re pleased with the results we’ve seen so far. Clearly wetlands and green infrastructure can go a long way towards filtering a lot of the pollutants that get scooped up during snow removal operations. We look forward to applying these and other solutions in the future to help protect the quality of our waterbodies,” said Tim Moerman, Director of Environmental Planning and Management at the City of Moncton.
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