Growth Leads to Salinization of Local Water Sources

Salt in water sources becoming worrisome in D.C. region, experts warn
By Antonio Olivo
August 8, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. EDT

The Washington region is growing — a metropolis of nearly 6 million people where area officials are pressing to build another 320,000 homes by the end of this decade.

And with that growth comes an increasing, largely unregulated problem: Salt. Lots of it.

Paved streets, sidewalks and parking lots need de-icing in winter, with the sodium chloride in road salt running off into streams. Washing machines drain sodium-containing detergents and industrial firms discharge sodium-laden water into wastewater systems, which already treat the human waste of a society addicted to salty foods and drinks.

All these sources contribute to what environmental scientists refer to as a “freshwater salinization syndrome” that is damaging local waterways, harming wildlife and affecting the quality of drinking water throughout the United States.

Salt in Water Sources Becoming Worrisome