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Even though the weather is turning warmer, we still need to think about wintry roads and road salt. Because, while road salt melts away the challenges presented by wintry conditions, its use is negatively impacting the waters, communities, wilderness, and wildlands of our Adirondack Park all year long.

The excessive application of road salt on state roadways in the Adirondack Park is contaminating our surface waters and drinking wells. And it’s happening at an alarming rate. Without updating our road management practices in the Adirondacks, road salt pollution will continue to jeopardize safe drinking water for years to come.

In 2019, there were many successes that helped reaffirm the status of the Adirondack Park as a national treasure including the creation of a task force to help address overuse in the High Peaks Wilderness Area and the strongest climate law in the country. It has been a critical year in Adirondack conservation.

Water is the lifeblood of the Adirondacks. Wild mountain lakes and ponds throughout the Park provide critical habitats for wildlife. Communities and homeowners alike depend on clean lakes, streams, and groundwater for their drinking water. Businesses rely on abundant, clean water for tourism and recreation.

Guest Author, Brendan Wiltse Science & Stewardship Director for the Ausable River Association, discusses the potential water quality impacts of recreational use in the High Peaks Wilderness Area.

During the Adirondack Council’s recent conference Acid Rain: Securing Our Gains, Finishing the Job, Jordan Ross of Trout Power won enthusiastic support from an audience of more than 50 scientists and environmental advocates as he recounted the group’s recent work documenting the recovery of native brook trout in Adirondack waters. 

Do you know which watershed you live in? A watershed simply means that water flows across the surface and drains into a river, lake or aquifer. Read our blog to find out more about watersheds and what you can do to help protect them.

For over 40 years, the Adirondack Council has been an effective, non-partisan advocate for the Adirondacks. In both Albany and the Adirondacks, our conservation advocacy and education is ongoing. Looking back over this past fiscal year, we’ve accomplished a lot of good for the Adirondacks. We owe thanks to our tens of thousands of advocates across the nation who support our mission and vision and count on the Council to be the watchdog for the Adirondack Park.

With more than 5,000 miles of public highways in the Adirondack Park, even small decisions about seasonal maintenance can have a major impact on the Park’s long term health. A recent study by Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI) of 358 private wells across the Adirondack Park found that salt used to clear ice and snow from roads in the wintertime is contaminating groundwater and seeping into private wells at an alarming rate.

This week, we celebrated World Rivers Day on Saturday, September 30 by advocating for the health and respect of rivers in the Adirondacks and elsewhere. Today, while water quality in the Adirondack watersheds is generally very good, these areas still have prominent water quality challenges that have been a concern for quite some time.