Winter Roads Make Salty Streams

Part of the Ecology Disrupted Curriculum Collection.

How might snowy and icy roads affect Baltimore area’s water supply?
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In winter, salt is regularly applied to melt ice on roads in the Northeast. But road salt runoff drains into streams and drinking water. The salt buildup has made some urban, suburban, and rural streams 25 percent as salty as seawater.

Essential Question: How might snowy and icy roads affect Baltimore area’s water supply?
Key Topics: Abiotic and Biotic Factors, Water, Runoff, Ecosystems, Graphing
Level: 7th - 12th grade
Pacing: Seven class periods
<a href="/learn-teach/curriculum-collections/ecology-disrupted/winter-roads/learning-goals-and-standards">Learning Goals and Standards</a>
<a href="/learn-teach/curriculum-collections/ecology-disrupted/winter-roads/lesson-plans">Lesson Plans</a>Salting Winter RoadsSalt And Living ThingsWater In Our Daily Lives: Coming And GoingInvestigating and Graphing Salinity DataRepresenting and Making Meaning from Salinity Data: Graphing and Drawing ConclusionsEcology Disrupted: Unexpected Consequences of Human Daily Life on Abiotic and Biotic Ecosystem Component 
<a href="/learn-teach/curriculum-collections/ecology-disrupted/winter-roads/assessments">Assessments</a>