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King’s College Theatre Department stages production of ‘Hamlet’ set in 1930s

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High turnout for ice fishing derby at Frances Slocum

<p>When lead shot for hunting waterfowl was banned nationwide in the early 1990s, the move was well-received by conservationists who felt the toxic substance was killing ducks.</p><p>I don&#8217;t dispute that, and for the most part waterfowl hunters have adapted well to using non-toxic shot.</p><p>But I wonder if lead shot was really the major threat to waterfowl and the aquatic environment that many perceived. Sure, any amount of lead in the environment isn&#8217;t a good thing, but there is something that I believe is a greater danger to ponds, streams, rivers and all aquatic life.</p><p>Road salt.</p><p>Every winter our roads are coated with a white sheen resulting from numerous applications of salt &#8212; and we use a lot of it.</p><p>Last winter, PennDOT used 900,000 tons of salt and sprayed another 9.8 million gallons of salt brine on roads.</p><p>And that doesn&#8217;t include the salt and brine that is applied on municipal roads, parking lots, sidewalks and driveways.</p><p>Add it all up, and there&#8217;s a lot of salt being spread across the landscape each winter.</p><p>But where does it all go?</p><p>While the benefit of road salt is immense &#8212; it prevents accidents and saves lives &#8212; the downfall is significant as well.</p><p>All of the hundreds of thousands of tons that are applied every winter, and the millions of gallons of brine sprayed on the pavement, it all ends up in the water.</p><p>Every bit of it.</p><p>To make matters worse, much of the salt isn&#8217;t simply washed directly into a stream or river. If that were the case, the detriment wouldn&#8217;t be as severe as the salt load and resulting impact would be carried away by the current.</p><p>Instead, road salt accumulates in the soil and it is slowly released into the water, providing a steady dose that isn&#8217;t washed away.</p><p>Elevated levels of salt in the water disrupt an entire ecosystem, beginning at the bottom of the food chain with macroinvertebrates all the way up to frogs and fish.</p><p>A study conducted by the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York showed that high concentrations of road salt in the water reduced the growth rate of rainbow trout. Other studies show impacts to other fish species and amphibians.</p><p>It&#8217;s a problem that begs to be addressed, but how?</p><p>The tricky thing with road salt is we need to use it. Roads need to be kept clear of ice and snow so we can get to work, emergency personnel can respond to calls, and our daily lives can continue without interruption.</p><p>No one can dispute the benefit of road salt.</p><p>Perhaps a viable alternative will emerge &#8212; beet juice and cheese brine are among options being tested &#8212; that will reduce our dependence on road salt.</p><p>Maybe our road departments don&#8217;t need to use as much salt as they do and rates can be reduced.</p><p>PennDOT has used an average of 900,000 tons of road salt for each of the last five years, and estimates indicate that more than 20 million tons of salt are applied annually on roads across the United States.</p><p>Those numbers make the threat of lead shot to our waterways seem rather inconsequential in the big picture.</p><p>Just think about it from a statewide perspective: Over the last five years combined, the 4.5 million tons of road salt have been spread on Pennsylvania&#8217;s highways by PennDOT alone. That&#8217;s 4.5 million tons of salt that ends up in our streams, rivers and lakes.</p><p>We all know the damage that salt does to cars, and even our health.</p><p>Imagine what it&#8217;s doing to the environment as well.</p><p>It rusts our cars, damages our health and destroys our waterways.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Outdoors with Tom Venesky: Too much salt is bad for your health, and the environment too