Too much road salt in 11 Halifax-area lakes

Nearly a dozen lakes in the Halifax region have salt levels well over the recommended guidelines for chronic exposure, a new report has found.    

Eleven of 23 lakes tested were above acceptable guidelines, even though the amount of salt used on municipal roads is decreasing.

Among the lakes affected are First Lake in Sackville, Chocolate Lake in Halifax and Lake Banook in Dartmouth.

The Halifax Regional Municipality used more than 36,000 tonnes of road salt or sodium chloride in 2010. That's about 7,000 tonnes less than what was spread a decade ago.

The city has started mixing the salt in brine solution before its applied to minimize runoff and it's now using weigh scales to keep a better eye on how much salt is used.

Richard MacLellan, HRM's manager of environment, said it's a difficult balancing act.

"Making sure that you're de-icing as needed for public safety, but not excessively which, obviously, is a good thing to watch both environmentally and financially," he said.

MacLellan said the monitoring of certain lakes will continue.There will also be ongoing training for municipal employees and contractors who truck and spread the road salt.  

The new study has been sent to this week's meeting of the city's environment and sustainability committee.