Sodium level in stream water of the Centennial Lake watershed at
Rider is 25% higher than that of 10 years ago

Sodium level in stream water of the Centennial Lake watershed at
Rider is 25% higher than that of 10 years ago

Cold
winters in the Northeast drive communities
to apply winter de icing salts to roads and
walkways While effective, the salt applications
create long term water quality and ecological
issues on the local and regional water system
The purpose of this research was to understand
the interaction of sodium with water and soil in
the Centennial Lake Watershed, which is a part
of the larger Delaware River Watershed that
supplies potable water to Pennsylvania, North
Jersey, and New York state Our result indicates
there are three components in the sodium source
in water road salt, mineral dissolution, and
precipitation deposition Sodium absorption can
mobilize other metals in the soil through a
cation exchange process, while complexes of the
chloride can also help mobilize other metals,
including mercury in the water Compared to the
sodium levels in stream water measured 10
years, its average concentration is more than
25 higher in the off snow season today

Cook, Jacquelyn
Sun, Hongbing

Department of Geological, Environmental, and Marine Sciences (GEMS), Rider University

Poster

English