How road salt contaminates drinking water, and what New York can do about it
The 11th annual Salt Summit brought road crews, lawmakers, scientists, and clean water advocates together in Albany
October 15, 2026
Riverkeeper Team
Road salt keeps roads safe in winter, but it doesn’t stay on the pavement. It runs into streams, seeps into groundwater, harms aquatic life, and ends up in the water we drink. The good news: We have the tools to reduce these impacts. That was the message at the 11th annual Salt Summit, hosted by the Lake George Association. This year’s Summit was the first held in Albany and the first with a statewide focus.
About 300 people attended, including Riverkeeper, highway superintendents and road crews, municipal leaders, legislators, road equipment vendors, scientists, and fellow clean water advocates — people who make salt decisions every day, and who are best placed to change policy for the better.
Riverkeeper Science Director Dr. Shannon Roback presented “Impacts of Road Salts on Drinking Water Supplies,” making the case that road salt has contaminated many public drinking water supplies in the region, presenting a particular risk to those with hypertension on very low sodium diets.
Riverkeeper also talked with members of Hudson Valley communities in attendance, highlighting state and local policies they can support to reduce road salt use, while maintaining safe roads.
Why it matters: road salt by the numbers
- New York uses more road salt than any other state. The NYS Thruway alone averages 176,000 tons per year.
- A single teaspoon of salt can contaminate five gallons of water.
- More than half of public drinking water supplies in the Hudson River Watershed have sodium levels that exceed state and federal health guidelines for people on low-sodium diets, according to new Riverkeeper research.
- Salinity in the New Croton Reservoir, which supplies a portion of the drinking water to New York City residents, has tripled in 30 years and could exceed state and federal limits by 2108 if action isn’t taken.
- High salt concentrations persist in streams year-round. Some salt applied 10 to 20 years ago is still working its way through ecosystems.
- The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation identified the increasing trend in salinity in streams statewide as "cause for concern" more than a decade ago.
- Climate change feeds the cycle. Higher water temperatures and increased salinity can combine to increase the likelihood of harmful algal blooms.
Protecting the Hudson means protecting the water that flows into it and the water people drink from it. Road salt touches both. That’s why Riverkeeper expanded our water quality monitoring program to increase measurements of salinity, and why we will continue to push for policies that reduce road salt use while keeping roads safe, protecting drinking water supplies, stream health, and aquatic life across the watershed.
Our monitoring, advocacy, and work with municipalities all aim to give communities the information and support to use less salt while keeping roads safe
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