“One teaspoon of salt can pollute five gallons of water,” said Brooke Asleson, metro watershed project manager for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. At high concentrations, chloride is lethal to fish, bugs and vegetation, she said, but even at lower levels it can harm their ability to reproduce and thrive.

Especially vulnerable, said Asleson, are lakes and streams in the metro area, which uses about 365,000 tons of salt each winter on roads.

“We’re not saying fish are more important than being able to drive safely,” she said. “We have to get around safely in winter. But we also need to protect our water resources.”

via Star Tribune.