Increased chloride concentration in a lake due to deicing salt application.

During winter, the Swedish National Road Administration uses on average 250,000 tonnes of sodium chloride for deicing purposes. Chloride concentration is a function of the amount of deicing salt applied during the winter season and the amount of water in which the salt can be diluted. An estimation of seasonal amount of deicing salt in relation to amount of run-off was used in order to identify the effects of deicing salt. The measured chloride concentration in a lake used as a municipal water supply was similar to the concentration estimated by a simple steady state method accounting for the catchment area. The simplified steady state method was a useful tool for estimating steady state concentrations on a regional level, including a non-influenced lake as a comparison.