Presentation by Danelle Haake, Director of Illinois RiverWatch and Stream Ecologist with the National Great Rivers Research & Education Center

When winter snow and ice fall, people still go about their daily lives: working, playing, learning, and driving their cars to get where they’re going.  This is made possible through our use of plows to remove the top layer of snow from the pavement and the use of road salt to melt the rest.  But where does all that salt go?  And what happens when it gets there?

Danelle has worked in the water quality and ecological restoration realms for over 20 years, including developing water quality management plans in Iowa, managing reconstructed prairie and woodland habitats with Missouri Botanical Garden, and studying the impact of road salt on stream ecosystems. Since 2010, she has been coordinating community science participants in an effort to better understand the connections between road salt and water quality.