Seasonal and Site Fluctuations of
Chloride Levels in the Saratoga
Lake Watershed
Environmental Studies
Capstone Project 2007
What is Salt?
Chemical composition of salt (NaCl)
Used as a deicer on roadways (NaCl, KCl,
MgCl, CaCl) (RiverSides, 2005)
(www.rbwm.gov.uk, www.newyorkwater.org, www.earthhopenetwork.net, www.gurnee.il.us)
Impacts of Salt on the
Environment
 Impacts on aquatic communities
Invertebrates and plants
 Impacts on terrestrial communities
Can affect areas up to 1 km away
from roadways (Habron et al., 2004)
Colonization of invasive species
 Impacts on water
Affects smaller waterways most
(Trombulak and Frissell, 2000)
Impacts of Salt on Humans
 Impacts on humans debatable
 Can’t remove salt at water treatment
plant
→ hypertension
(Special
Report 235, 1991)
 Metal Corrosion
 Property Damage
 Trace metals (Hg, As, Cr, Pb)
(Fischel, 2001)
Saratoga Lake Watershed
Sampling Sites
Upper Kayaderosseras
D
50
RT
I8
7
RT 9
RT 9N
DANIEL
S RD
RT 29
Clover Mill Creek
E
WEST AV
D
2
RT
9
RT 9
P
Lake
Lonely Outlet
C R ES
Main Kayaderosseras
D
AVE
0
I 87
RT 43
MP
RA
RT 45
RT
5
D
RT 47
CENT
RT
6
RT 59
RT
4
RT 67
Kristina Connolly and Ashley Hellman
ES Capstone
Spring 2007
RT 67
3
23
Aerial Photo of Lake Lonely Outlet
Collection Site
Co
un
ty
H
igh
wa
y2
2
Vista
Kayd
eros
s Av
enue
East
Poe
Waner
Hypothesis
We anticipated
differences in
chloride &
conductivity levels
from:
 Upstream &
Downstream
 Site to Site
 Season to Season
Sampling
 Four sampling dates: 2/24/07, 3/3/07,
3/24/07, 4/6/07
 Conductivity measurements for all four
dates
 Water samples on 2/24/07 and 4/6/07
Conductivity & Chloride Explained
350
300
Chloride (ppm)
Conductivity (µS)
250
200
Chloride
Conductivity
150
100
50
0
Upper
Kayaderosseras
Clover Mill Creek
Main
Kayaderosseras
Lake Lonely
Outlet
Conductivity: a measure of the ability of a
given substance to conduct electric current
(www.dictionary.com)
Comparison of Average Upstream and
Downstream Conductivity Levels for Each
Site
350
300
Conductivity (µS)
250
200
Upstream
Downstream
150
100
50
0
Upper
Kayaderosseras
Clover Mill Creek
Main
Kayaderosseras
Lake Lonely
Outlet
Across Date Comparison of Average
Conductivity Levels by Site
350
Conductivity (µS)
300
250
200
2/24/2007
150
3/3/2007
100
3/24/2007
4/6/2007
50
0
Upper
Kayaderosseras
Clover Mill
Creek
Main
Kayaderosseras
Lake Lonely
Outlet
Saratoga Lake Watershed
Sampling Sites
Upper Kayaderosseras
D
50
RT
I8
7
RT 9
RT 9N
DANIEL
S RD
RT 29
Clover Mill Creek
E
WEST AV
D
2
RT
9
RT 9
P
Lake
Lonely Outlet
C R ES
Main Kayaderosseras
D
AVE
0
I 87
RT 43
MP
RA
RT 45
RT
5
D
RT 47
CENT
RT
6
RT 59
RT
4
RT 67
Kristina Connolly and Ashley Hellman
ES Capstone
Spring 2007
RT 67
3
23
Land Uses in the
Saratoga Lake Watershed
Upper Kayaderosseras
D
Land Use Types
Water
Low Intensity Development
High Intensity Development
Undeveloped
Clover Mill Creek
D
Agriculture
Lake Lonely Outlet
Main Kayaderosseras
D
Kristina Connolly and Ashley Hellman
ES Capstone
Spring 2007
D
Population Density by Square Mile
in the Saratoga Lake Watershed
D
Upper Kayaderosseras
Population Density
Number of People Per Square Mile
24.7 - 25.0
25.1 - 50.0
50.1 - 100.0
100.1 - 500.0
D
Lake Lonely Outlet
Clover Mill Creek
D
500.1 - 1000.0
1000.1 - 21150.0
D
Main Kayaderosseras
Kristina Connolly and Ashley Hellman
ES Capstone
Spring 2007
What it means…
The Saratoga Lake Watershed and the
Future
• Highest levels in Lake Lonely Outlet
 large roads
• Lowest levels in Upper Kayaderosseras
 small roads
• Use data as a component of long-term
consistent data for future studies
• Political officials in Saratoga County can use
data for future road salt debates
Acknowledgments
•
•
•
•
Skidmore College
Environmental Studies Program
Water Resources Initiative
Karen Kellogg, Judy Halstead, Bob Turner,
Bob Jones, Cathy Gibson, and Conor Taff
• Jim Turner (for the use of his land)
• Dominick Gabriel and Peter van Kuren
• Our Parents
References
2005. The Weight of Evidence. RiverSides: Where Water Quality Begins.
http://www.riversides.org/index.php?cat=3&page1=8&page2=36
Committee on the Comparative Costs of Rock Salt and Calcium Magnesium
Acetate (CMA) for Highway Deicing. 1991. Highway Deicing: Comparing
Salt and Calcium Magnesium Acetate. Special Report 235, Transportation
Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., USA.
Demers, C. L., and R. W. Sage Jr. 1989. Effects of Road Deicing Salt on
Chloride Levels in Four Adirondack Streams. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution
49: 369-373.
Habron, G.B., M.D. Kaplowitz, and R.L. Levine. 2004. A Soft Systems Approach
to Watershed Management: A Road Salt Case Study. Environmental
Management 33(6):776-787.
Trombulak, S. C., and C. A. Frissell. 1999. Review of Ecological Effects of
Roads on Terrestrial and Aquatic Communities. Conservation Biology 14(1):
18-30.
www.dictionary.com, www.earthhopenetwork.net, www.gurnee.il.us,
www.newyorkwater.org, www.rbwm.gov.uk