August 26, 2026
Road Salt is a useful tool for keeping winter roads safe, but it poses risks to safe drinking water.
Excessive use of road salt can cause drinking water to have high levels of sodium and chloride, which, when present, can pose health risks.
High levels of sodium and chloride can give drinking water a bad taste and jeopardize well-being for those with high blood pressure and/or heart, liver, or kidney disease.
Elevated amounts of sodium and chloride also pose health risks by corroding drinking water pipes. While many pipes are not affected by elevated sodium and chloride levels, oversalted water can corrode the protective layer in lead pipes, causing drinking water to contain unsafe levels of lead. This is especially important in Upstate New York since 70% of homes in the Adirondacks were built before the 1986 “Lead Free Act”.
Road salt use is not just an Upstate issue. New York City’s water supply from the New Croton Reservoir has tripled in chloride levels over the past 30 years. If this trend continues, this reservoir could reach maximum contaminant levels and become undrinkable by 2108.
It is time to explore alternate ways to keep winter roads safe.
The 2026 New York State Salt Summit presented by the Times Union on October 8th at the Crowne Plaza Albany - the Desmond Hotel by IHG, aims to address the issues caused by road salt overuse.
Hear from Riverkeeper's Shannon Roback, Suffolk County Water Authority's Ty Fuller and Adam Bosch from the NYC DEP on the "Drinking Water Impacts Panel", at the 2026 NYS Salt Summit.
These experts are currently tackling the issue of road salt's impacts on drinking water quality in their communities across New York State and will share insights on how to address this pressing issue.
