Boston, MA
As snowbanks begin to melt, road salt poses threat to New England’s freshwater ecosystems – The Boston Globe
Of all the winter pollutants, road salt, which lowers the freezing point of water, is the most concerning because it is particularly harmful to freshwater organisms that haven’t evolved to tolerate salt water, experts say.
“The reason this is an environmental issue for aquatic ecosystems is that salt specifically, is toxic,” said Andrew Hrycyna, water quality program manager at the Mystic River Watershed Association.
Hrycyna said the Environmental Protection Agency sets threshold levels for exposure to chloride, a part of salt that dissolves in water. Over time, such exposure can stunt growth and reproduction in fish and aquatic insects, while sudden exposure can cause them to die instantly.
Data collected for over 20 years by the Mystic River Watershed Association show an upward trend in chloride levels in freshwater sites across the waterbodies. The group measures “specific conductance,” a measurement of the electrical conductivity of water which is directly proportional with salt content, and has documented rising levels not only in winter but year round, suggesting that groundwater itself is becoming saltier.
A 2016 study by the United States Geological Survey found similar increases in chloride concentrations across rural and urban parts of New England, reinforcing concerns that the use of road salt has long-term regional impacts.
In Alewife Brook, a tributary of the Mystic River, chloride concentrations spiked sharply during snowmelt and rain events, monitoring during winter storms has shown. In some cases, levels briefly exceeded acute toxicity thresholds for freshwater organisms. Alewife Brook is now officially listed as “impaired” by chloride on Massachusetts’ Integrated List of Waters.
“The big problem comes not from the fact the snow melts, it’s the sheer volume [of salt] we’re using,” Hrycyna said. “We know we have to put some salt down to keep people safe, but can you put less and keep people equally safe?”
In most neighborhoods, storm drains are directly connected to nearby bodies of water through an underground pipe network. Anything on the street — from sand and soot, to dog waste and plastic debris — can be swept into rivers during snowmelt.
“It’s still precipitation,” said Chris Mancini, executive director of Save The Harbor/Save The Bay. “It’s still landing on urban streets, and where it melts, it’s carrying whatever it’s captured into storm drains over land into the water.”
Some cities, like Cambridge, are experimenting with brine, salt dissolved in water and sprayed onto roads, which allows for precise application and reduced overall use.
But there are other pollutants.
That black, crusty layer visible on plowed snow contains accumulated car exhaust particles, microplastics, sand and bacteria from pet waste. In the Charles River, elevated bacteria levels have the potential to make people sick. Nutrient pollution — including phosphorus from fertilizers, detergents and even organic matter like fallen leaves — can lead to over-fertilizing the river.
“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.
Advocates say the solution lies in redesigning how cities handle runoff.
Mancini said Boston’s Deer Island treatment plant and stormwater tunnels help manage intense runoff, storing and gradually releasing water to avoid overwhelming the system.
Green stormwater infrastructure, first pioneered in Maryland in the 1990s, is another part of the solution. These systems, which can take the form of sunken gardens, tree pits or underground infiltration tanks, capture runoff before it reaches storm drains. Soil and plant roots filter pollutants while water slowly seeps into the ground.
“That’s what we’re always pushing for both rainfall runoff and the snow melt,” Wood said. “Just natural filtration before it reaches the river.
Wood said salt remains harder to filter because it dissolves easily and can damage plants used in green infrastructure systems. That makes reducing salt use at the source especially critical. Mancini suggested the use of environmental friendly salt as an alternative.
There is, however, one environmental benefit to heavy snowfall. Wood said slow, gradual snowmelt allows water to recharge groundwater supplies, something intense rainstorms often fail to accomplish.
Still, advocates say the sight of blackened snowbanks offer a powerful visual reminder.
“Snow is just revealing to our eyes the pollution that’s always there year-round,” Wood said. “That black stuff we see on the snow is not only there in the winter, it’s just only visible in the winter.
Aayushi Datta can be reached at aayushi.datta@globe.com.
Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals
Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals LIVE GAME: Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals look to seize control of thrilling Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals. Every team in the Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals has two wins apiece as we go into the final two game weeks. Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals will host Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals at Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals Park Stadium with the Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals a single point ahead of Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals in the standings and just one behind leaders Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals.
Gray, acquired in a November trade from the St. Louis Cardinals, was one of Boston’s key rotation additions, along with Ranger Suarez, in the offseason. He was 14-8 with a 4.28 ERA in 2025.
“He’s very specific about his work. Every day has a purpose,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Gray. “Two hundred strikeouts, that’s something that we were looking for. The competitor. Every five days, this guy is going to give you everything.”
In his five career appearances against the Reds, Gray is 1-3 with a 4.18 ERA.
“It’s pretty much one of the only things that is continuing to push me, is to get to a World Series, to win a World Series, to pitch in big games,” said Gray. “I love the moment, and I am chasing that moment.”
Here’s the preview:
RED SOX (1-0): TBA
Pitching: RHP Sonny Gray
REDS (0-1): TBA
Pitching: RHP Brady Singer
Time: 4:10 p.m.
TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7
Red Sox vs. Singer: Wilyer Abreu 2-5, Roman Anthony 1-2, Willson Contreras 2-7, Jarren Duran 3-10, Caleb Durbin 0-1, Isiah Kiner-Falefa 6-16, Marcelo Mayer 0-1, Andruw Monasterio 1-4, Carlos Narváez 1-1, Ceddanne Rafaela 1-5, Trevor Story 0-4, Connor Wong 2-8, Masataka Yoshida 2-7
Reds vs. Gray: Will Benson 0-5, Elly De La Cruz 5-11, TJ Friedl 1-8, Ke’Bryan Hayes 4-17, Nathaniel Lowe 2-10, Noelvi Marte 0-5, Matt McLain 2-2, Spencer Steer 4-9, Tyler Stephenson 0-8, Eugenio Suárez 7-13, Jose Trevino 0-2
Stat of the day: Sal Stewart become the first Cincinnati rookie since 1958 to record three hits on Opening Day.
Notes: Cincinnati sends righthander Brady Singer (14-12, 4.03 in 2025) to the mound … With Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo already on the injured list to start the season, Singer is considered one of Cincinnati’s most durable pitchers, leading the Reds with 32 starts last season … Singer has made five career starts against Boston, posting a 2-2 record with a 4.88 ERA over 24 innings … His last appearance against the Red Sox, on July 1 in Boston, ended after just three innings when he allowed two earned runs on three hits.
Cam Kerry can be reached at cam.kerry@globe.com.
Nearly three months since assuming office as mayor of Everett, Massachusetts, Mayor Robert Van Campen isn’t wasting any time.
The former city councilor ousted 18-year incumbent Carlo DeMaria in decisive fashion last November, but even so, issues surrounding his predecessor still linger at City Hall.
A state-led salary audit of DeMaria found $180,000 in overpayment, a finding the former mayor disputes. Van Campen says the city is monitoring ongoing investigations.
“What I’ve conveyed to my partners in government here, locally, is to allow that state process to play itself out, and then we, as a community, will make a decision,” the mayor said. “In addition to that, I recently met with Inspector General Jeff Shapiro, who visited me at City Hall. We had a great conversation about transparency in government, best practices, putting in the right systems to ensure that that type of financial oversight doesn’t happen in the future.”
Beyond the audit, Van Campen is placing emphasis on school overcrowding.
“My objective is to try to implement solutions as quickly as I can,” he said. “Our high school today, which was built for I think 1,650 students, now houses around 2,200.”
The World Cup is creating buzz across Massachusetts, including in Everett, where the Kraft Group is looking to build a soccer stadium.
To alleviate that problem, the mayor is using federal ARPA funds to repair the old Everett High School and seeking out other spaces that could be used in the future.
“Would I like to build out new classroom space for the students of Everett in the next one to two years? Yes, that’s my ideal,” Van Campen said. “But I want to make sure that if we do it on a quick timeline, it’s done in a correct and proper fashion.”
Also in focus for the mayor is a new soccer stadium for the New England Revolution on the shores of the Mystic River.
The Kraft Group, Boston, Everett and the state Legislature have all taken steps to make the project a reality, but Van Campen says there’s still more work to do.
“It’s a transformative project, it’s a breathtaking project,” said Van Campen. “But I’ve been clear with all the stakeholders around that project, and the other larger developments going on down there, that we have to make sure that transit issues are comprehensively addressed, that pedestrian access issues are comprehensively addressed, that all those issues have to be addressed to perfection in order for these projects to succeed.”
Tune in on Sunday, March 29 at 9:30 a.m. for our extended @Issue Sit Down with Van Campen.
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