Help Monitor Road Salt in the Connecticut River This Winter
This winter marks an exciting first for the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC): volunteers like you will help monitor road salt inputs into the Connecticut River and its tributaries. From December 2024 through March 2025, participants will collect water samples and test for chloride levels to better understand the impact of road salt on local waterways.
Why Monitor Road Salt?
Road salt is widely used during the winter to improve driving safety, but it comes at an environmental cost. As the snow and ice melt, the salt washes into rivers and streams, raising chloride levels and potentially harming aquatic ecosystems. Monitoring these inputs will help CRC identify problem areas and develop strategies to mitigate the effects of road salt on water quality.
How It Works
No experience is required to join! Once you sign up, CRC will send you a chloride testing kit with detailed instructions on how and when to sample. Volunteers will collect samples from their chosen locations four times during the monitoring period. The process is straightforward, flexible, and designed to minimize your exposure to cold weather.
Here’s what to expect:
Sampling Locations: Choose a location that’s convenient and interesting to you. Share the location details with CRC to ensure your results are useful.
Sampling Process: Follow the provided instructions or watch CRC’s instructional videos to learn how to take and test water samples.
Safety First: Wear warm clothing and waterproof gloves to stay comfortable while sampling. If the weather is severe or the site feels unsafe, wait for better conditions—your safety is the top priority.
Be Part of the Solution
So far, 73 volunteers (including me!) have signed up to contribute to this important project. Together, we can help CRC collect valuable data to protect the health of the Connecticut River and its surrounding ecosystem.
Sign up today and be part of this impactful effort. For more details and to get started, visit CRC’s Road Salt Monitoringpage. If you have questions, contact Melissa Langley at mlangley@ctriver.org.
Let’s make a difference this winter—one sample at a time!
Find more volunteer opportunities here: VOMO
