WSU researchers show deicers stay in local waterways
OGDEN, Utah — A study from Weber State University science students has found that deicing materials seep into northern Utah’s watershed after application.
Caitlin Tems, an assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences, led a team of seven students on the project, which studied water quality in and around Ogden Valley in 2022 and 2023. The study was inspired by two student research projects: one looking into the effects of deicing materials on campus and another comparing water quality from Ogden Valley and Ogden.
“The students helped this project grow,” Tems said. “All of their input and all of their work really helped shape the project into this really interesting study.”
Tems and independent research students collected samples from the streams that flow into Pineview Reservoir, the reservoir itself, and the Ogden River, which flows next to State Route 39. After analyzing the samples on an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer, they found concentrations of sodium, magnesium, calcium, and potassium were significantly higher in the Ogden River in fall 2022 and spring 2023 when compared to Pineview Reservoir and the inflow streams.
The focus of the study came together as Tems and her students realized these were major components of the deicing materials placed on Utah’s roadways in the winter.
“It seems like we have higher concentrations of deicing materials in the system, even when it’s not the winter,” she said. “What does this mean in the long term? Is this a pattern? Is it a trend?”
When the team took samples in fall 2023, they were surprised to find the concentration of deicing materials was lower than the previous year. Tems said she believes this was due to increased water from Utah’s record-breaking snowpack in 2022-23.
“If we do have these really big snow years, even if you’re applying more deicing materials, it can flush the system,” she said. “The water quality is improving because you have so much water moving through the system.”
But years without significant snow and this flushing effect may lead to more contaminant buildup — not just from deicing materials, but other contaminants as well.
“Anything that goes on the road or soil eventually goes into the watershed,” Tems said. “Once you put something into the system, it’s not just there temporarily, it’s something that can build up over time and that’s why these flushing events are really important. It allows for getting the system back to baseline.”
Deicing materials applied on Utah roadways are primarily salt-based. Fewer flushing events and increased use over time would lead to both water and soil having higher concentrations of salt that could complicate agriculture and overall water availability.
The research was published in the Utah Academy of Science Journal and Tems received the 2024 Faculty Sustainability Research Award from WSU for her work.
Tems said encouraging undergraduate research is important because it helps prepare students to go into the workforce or graduate school, and engages them to use what they’re learning outside of the classroom.
“It’s not just this project. There’s so much cool local research that happens and I really think it just sets Weber apart from other higher education institutions,” she said. “Because we are undergraduate education focused, we can do these research projects that give students this great experience.”
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