Impact of Highway Maintenance Chemicals on Water Quality

The transportation industry in the USA and worldwide uses a variety of chemicals for ensuring public safety during their passage. The most common chemicals are the ones used during winter months for keeping roadways and aircrafts free from ice and snow. Common chemicals include organic and inorganic salts and organic glycols. These compounds can adversely impact the environment and water quality. Analysis was conducted to investigate the impact of chemical runoff from highways and runways to receiving bodies of waters. Common chemicals such as NaCl, KCl, MgCl2, CaCl2, Calcium Magnesium Acetate, Propylene and Ethylene Glycol were studied. The water used for these experiments was gathered from Rowan Pond, which is a watershed of Mantua Creek located in Southern New Jersey. The results obtained indicated that thechemicals can impact the salinity of the waterglycols can exert a high oxygen demand, andbacteria have a high tolerance for the selected chemical concentrations.