The New Jersey Watershed Watch Network’s Road Salt Impact Study is running for the 2022 winter season. Now in its third year, the NJ Road Salt Impact Study employs the help of hundreds of volunteers across the state of New Jersey to collect water quality data on chloride levels as they change throughout the season. Chloride is a constituent of road salt and tends to increase in fresh waters as salt washes off the roads into our streams and lakes.

To participate in this community science project, pick an accessible spot on a freshwater stream or lake near you. You will return to this spot six times before the end of March to measure how chloride levels change in response to road salting events. Testing takes about 10 minutes, including the time it takes to post your results to the online data portal.

Visit njwatershedwatch.org/roadsalt to learn more about the program and to request your free chloride test strips. Test packets will be mailed out in a few days.