Your WSSC tap water may taste slightly saltier in the coming weeks, and that’s because eventually, when all of the snow and ice that’s on our streets and piled high in your neighborhoods melts, it has to go somewhere and that somewhere is into the water table.
The water that comes out of your faucet may taste slightly saltier than usual in the coming weeks.
WSSC Water said salt used on roads and sidewalks during the recent snowstorm will eventually wash into waterways and make its way back inside your home.
Lyn Riggins, a spokesperson with WSSC Water, said multiple tons of salt were used to clear roads and sidewalks from the big snowstorm over a week ago.
“Eventually, it’s going to wash down the storm drains. It’s going to make its way into the creeks, the streams, the rivers, our source water,” Riggins said, adding that WSSC Water regularly tests the water and it’s safe to drink.
Riggins said most people likely won’t notice the saltier taste.
“For people who are on sodium-restricted diets, they need to be mindful of it. For the average person, probably not,” she said.
But Riggins said there is a long-term problem brewing. Testing shows salt levels in the water of the Potomac River, the region’s main water source, have been steadily increasing in the last 30 years. According to the Potomac Conservancy and WSSC, recorded increases of salt levels in the Potomac River showed a 230% increase from 1991 to 2021.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said sodium in drinking water should not exceed 20 milligrams per liter; WSSC said its testing has shown sodium levels exceeding 17 mg/L.
Part of the problem, according to WSSC, is that people are actually using too much salt on their driveways and sidewalks, and most of it gets wasted. Just one cup of salt can melt an average driveway and salt can be reused.
“If there’s some left, when it’s done its job, sweep it up and reuse it,” she said.
A report the University of Toledo published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment showed the use of salt has tripled the last 45 years and higher concentrations are showing up in streams, rivers, lakes and other sources of fresh water.
And unless the water and sewer utility wants to spend a lot of additional money, well into the millions of dollars for additional filtration equipment, there’s no practical way to get rid of it.
“Salt cannot be removed from the source water,” Riggins said. So, we have to be mindful of what we put on the land affects the water.”
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