Officials in charge of widening Interstate 93 have run into a problem they didn't anticipate.
It could take more than 160-tons of road salt each year to keep the additional lanes between Manchester and the Massachusetts border clear of ice in the winter.
D-O-T needs to show that the additional salt won't degrade the water in nearby streams.
But recent testing shows that streams adjacent to I-93 -- based on the amount of salt they contain -- are already in violation of federal clean water standards.
New Hampshire Public Radio's Doug MacPherson reports.
WHEN DOUG HEATH COMES TO WORK THESE DAYS, HIS OFFICE IS VERY OFTEN A REST AREA NEXT TO I-93. AND THE DRESS CODE OFTEN CALLS FOR A PAIR OF RUBBER HIP WADERS. AND THE WORK OFTEN INVOLVES VERY COLD, DIRTY WATER -- IN THIS CASE, THE POLICY BROOK IN SALEM.
TAPE DOUG HEATH 111 what i'm going to do is wade into the swollen stream. And pull out the data logger.
IF THE WORK CONDITIONS SEEM HARSH, HEATH HAS NO ONE TO BLAME BUT HIMSELF. IT WAS HEATH, A HYDROLOGIST WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, WHO FIRST PROPOSED MEASURING THE AMOUNT OF SALT IN THE STREAMS NEXT TO I-93. HE DOES SO WITH THE HELP OF ELECTRONIC DATA LOGGERS, WHICH RECORD THE SALINITY OF THE STREAM EVERY 15-MINUTES.
TAPE DOUG HEATH 1737 the importance of //taking a lot of measurements is that you're able to catch any changes over time. And in the winter that's especially important b/c we see very large increases of salt in the water in just a matter of hours as a result of storm water run off and melting of snow piles.
TAPE MACPHERSON 1808 why should people care if there's salt in this water? Probably nothing grows here.
TAPE DOUG HEATH 1817 we care about salt in water because of the chloride that's in salt. Chloride has been shown to be poisonous to freshwater species like fish, various kinds of fresh water fish, /// and it also affects the small creatures they feed on which we call macro invertebrates. These represent the underlying food chain which sustains the fish. //// 2134 and these rivers flow into larger streams. /// and they also flow into water supplies. :59
WHICH IS WHY HEATH ALSO SAMPLES WATER ON CANOBIE LAKE, A SOURCE OF DRINKING WATER FOR THE CITY OF SALEM.
SALT APPLIED TO ROADS ISN'T THE ONLY SOURCE OF SALT IN WATER BODIES, BUT IT DWARFS ALL OTHER SOURCES. AND IT BUILDS UP OVER TIME, ESPECIALLY IN AQUIFERS. THAT'S WHY DOUG HEATH WAS CONCERNED WHEN HE SAW D-O-T'S PLANS FOR WIDENING I-93.
THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ESTIMATED THAT EVEN THOUGH THE SIZE OF THE HIGHWAY WOULD BE DOUBLED -- THE ADDITIONAL ROAD SALT WOULDN'T EXCEED STANDARDS SET BY THE CLEAN WATER ACT.
TAPE DOUG HEATH 456 what caught my eye was the lack of baseline information, as we call it. There was no information as to what's already in these streams, and already in the aquifer. :10
D-O-T ASSUMED THE WATER WAS CLEAN. WHEN HEATH PROPOSED TESTING, D-O-T AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES AGREED TO HELP. WHAT THEY FOUND IS THAT NINE STREAMS IN THE TOWNS OF SALEM, WINDHAM, AND LONDONDERRY, ARE ALREADY IN VIOLATION. AND NOT BY A LITTLE. POLICY BROOK IN SALEM, FOR EXAMPLE, VIOLATED THE LEVEL OF CHLORIDE E-P-A CONSIDERS "CHRONIC" FOR ALL OF THIS PAST FEBRUARY -- AND MOST OF MARCH. THE AMOUNT OF SALT IN CANOBIE LAKE IS WELL WITHIN SAFE LIMITS. BUT HEATH SAYS IT'S DRAMATICALLY HIGHER THAN IT WAS 30-YEARS AGO -- ABOUT THREE TIMES HIGHER.
NEW HAMPSHIRE WAS THE FIRST STATE TO USE STRAIGHT ROCK SALT TO HELP CLEAR ROADS. THAT WAS BACK IN 1940. OTHER STATES FOLLOWED.
TAPE BILL CASS 405 There's no substitute that comes close as far as being cost effective as far as the result it gets in all kinds of weather conditions. :09
THAT'S BILL CASS, D-O-T'S PROJECT MANAGER FOR I-93. CASS SAYS WHEN IT COMES TO ROCK SALT, THE PHILOSOPHY OF D-O-T ROAD CREWS HAS BEEN, "IF SOME IS GOOD, MORE IS BETTER." THE ROAD CREWS KNOW WHAT THE PUBLIC EXPECTS.
TAPE BILL CASS 859 you know, when the roads aren't clear, they hear about it. :03
UNTIL THE E-P-A RAISED THE ISSUE, NO ONE AT D-O-T EVER TESTED THE AMOUNT OF SALT IN STEAMS.
TAPE BILL CASS 1240 there was some anecdotal information based on more national type of standards, but not specific levels in those streams. :13
NOW, OF COURSE, D-O-T KNOWS THERE'S A PROBLEM. CASS IS QUICK TO POINT OUT THAT D-O-T ISN'T ALONE IN APPLYING ROAD SALT -- THE CITY OF SALEM APPLIES THOUSAND OF TONS TO ITS ROADS. CASS SAYS THE AMOUNT OF SALT CAN BE REDUCED.
TAPE BILL CASS 1900 This has heightened our awareness of the issue in the corridor. And we're going to be taking reasonable and practical measures in a proactive sense to try to address what we can to reduce salt applications and salt usage along I93. :17
THOSE MEASURES INCLUDE -- INVESTING IN MORE EFFICIENT SNOW REMOVAL EQUIPMENT, APPLYING A MIXTURE OF SALT AND WATER BEFORE A MAJOR SNOWFALL, AND EMPLOYING HIGH TECH SENSORS TO MONITOR THE ROAD SURFACE AND ENABLE ROAD CREWS TO APPLY SALT MORE SPARINGLY AND MORE STRATEGICALLY.
TO GO FORWARD WITH WIDENING I-93, THE D-O-T NEEDS APPROVAL FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES THAT THE PROJECT WON'T VIOLATE FEDERAL WATER STANDARDS. THE OBVIOUS PROBLEM IS THAT THE SALT LEVELS EXCEED THOSE STANDARDS AS IT IS.
BUT D-E-S DOESN'T WANT TO HOLD UP THE PROJECT. D-E-S'S PAUL CURRIER SAYS HIS AGENCY WILL ISSUE THE NECESSARY CERTIFICATION -- CONTINGENT ON A STUDY TO DETERMINE THE EXACT SOURCES OF SALT, AND WHETHER SALT REDUCTION METHODS COULD BRING THE STREAMS INTO COMPLIANCE.
TAPE PAUL CURRIER 859 we think the timing will work such that the study can be completed, or substantially complete, before there is any substantial construction on I 93. : 11 [HE THINKS PRELIMINARY IN 2005, TO 2014.
THERE ISN'T A LOT OF TIME -- CONSTRUCTION IS DUE TO START NEXT YEAR.
REGARDLESS OF THE OUTCOME OF THE STUDY, D-E-S, WILL BE UNDER ENORMOUS PRESSURE TO SIGN OFF ON THE PROJECT. CURRIER SAYS THE AGENCY WILL BE IMPARTIAL.
TAPE PAUL CURRIER 1104 We are the decision makers after hearing all the reasons why, and all the reasons why not. We function not as an advocate for any particular position, but in a quasi-judicial mode, if you will. :15
BUT EVEN IF THE LEVEL OF SALT CAN'T COME DOWN ENOUGH,
THERE IS A LOOPHOLE IN THE CLEAN WATER ACT. IF WATER QUALITY STANDARDS CAN'T BE MET, THE STATE CAN DETERMINE, WITH E-P-A APPROVAL, THAT SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS OVERRIDE THE NEED FOR CLEAN WATER. A CASE D-O-T'S BILL CASS IS WELL PREPARED TO ARGUE.
TAPE BILL CASS 3048 You kind of get back to the overall purpose and need of the project. I mean, maybe we need to step back and focus on the overall public safety. I93 is a chronically congested highway. And it is a major transportation corridor to the state. And safety is an overwhelming concern out there today, with the levels of congestion. :28
WATER QUALITY MIGHT TAKE SECOND PLACE TO SAFETY.
STILL, THE DAYS WHEN SALT CAN BE UNTHINKINGLY APPLIED TO MAJOR ROADWAYS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE APPEAR TO BE NUMBERED. D-O-T OFFICIALS SAY SALT LOADING WILL BE A CONSIDERATION IN EVERY MAJOR NEW ROAD PROJECT FROM NOW ON.
AT THE SAME TIME, MORE DRIVERS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE ARE DRIVING MORE CARS FURTHER DISTANCES THAN EVER BEFORE. PUBLIC EXPECTATIONS FOR HOW QUICKLY WINTER ROADS ARE CLEARED OF ICE AND SNOW WILL LIKELY RISE AS WELL. FOR N-H-P-R NEWS, I'M DOUG MACPHERSON.
