5X社区 Biological Sciences Assistant Professor Lauren Kinsman-Costello, Ph.D., confirmed the possibility that increasing amounts of road salt could potentially end up in Ohio鈥檚 water supply, but it is very unlikely.
Dr. Kinsman-Costello has spent decades studying water patterns in Portage and Cuyahoga counties.
鈥淭he amount of road salt we鈥檙e using is increasing faster than our cities and population are growing,鈥 Dr. Kinsman-Costello told WKYC. 鈥淲ater can carry that salt into ground water.鈥
It is unlikely to get into Cleveland鈥檚 water supply though.
鈥淚f we鈥檙e getting our drinking water out of such a large source, such as Lake Erie, road salt isn鈥檛 directly going to affect you,鈥 Dr. Kinsman-Costello said in the video. 鈥淏ut if you鈥檙e getting water from a river, it鈥檚 possible.鈥
Along with drinking water, Dr. Kinsman-Costello also confirmed that road salt is doing real damage to sea life and plant growth. Many places across the country are changing their de-icing methods and beginning to use brine or potatoes to melt snow and ice on the roads.
To see the whole video on WKYC鈥檚 site, visit