CRWA In The News: As snowbanks begin to melt, road salt poses a threat to New England’s freshwater ecosystems (The Boston Globe)

“As snowbanks begin to melt across Greater Boston, they leave behind more than wet sidewalks, slushy streets. When plowed into contiguous mounds along streets, the snow collects a mixture of substances: road salt, car exhaust, and even pet waste. As temperatures rise, as they are expected to do into this week, these pollutants flow directly into storm drains, ultimately reaching rivers and harbors. – “It’s essentially like dumping fertilizer into the river, and you just get way too much plant growth, and it can actually overwhelm the river’s ecosystem,” said Julie Wood, climate resilience director at Charles River Watershed Association.”