As cities work to reduce their salt use, more action is still needed to protect water resources
Communities across the Twin Cities are currently waging a battle against time, as they work to curb the flow of salt into lakes, rivers, streams and groundwater before it’s too late. Currently, 54 lakes and streams in Minnesota are listed as impaired due to excess chloride (salt) and the MPCA plans to add an additional 13 water bodies to the list in 2024. Frighteningly, an additional 120 water bodies are tottering near the threshold for chloride impairment and could be added to the list in the next five years if salt use in their surrounding watersheds isn’t dramatically reduced.