Comparison of Contributions to Chloride in Urban Stormwater from Winter Brine and Rock Salt Application

Abstract

The use of road salt to increase roadway safety during winter storms releases high concentrations of chloride into urban and suburban stormwater. This stormwater flows into nearby streams, resulting in concentrations of chloride that can exceed water quality standards intended to protect aquatic life. As chloride pollution is not readily filtered by soil or plants, mitigation will require reductions in the amount of salt used. In this study, cities in St. Louis County, Missouri, U.S., were used as a test case for brining as a best management practice (BMP) to reduce salt use relative to the standard practice of spreading solid rock salt. The practice of brining involves the dissolution of road salt in water and the application of the resulting brine solution to roadways in advance of a forecasted winter storm. During the winters of 2016–2017 and 2017–2018, stormwater runoff from residential areas was monitored in paired cities to determine if the availability of brining as a BMP for salt application on residential roads would result in a decrease in chloride in stormwater and, therefore, a decrease in chloride reaching urban streams. The use of brining by city governments resulted in a 45% average reduction of chloride loads conveyed to streams, demonstrating that brining is a highly viable BMP for local municipal operations.