71% of the earth is water.
Almost all water on earth is held in the oceans, too salty to drink or use in agriculture.
In North America, fresh water on earth is contained in groundwater, lakes,
rivers, and glaciers.
New research from the Missouri School of Journalism surveyed more than 2,300 residents of the Mississippi River Basin to get a closer look at climate attitudes near one of the most important rivers on earth.
Almost half were unaware they live in the basin.
71% of the earth is water.
Almost all water on earth is held in the oceans, too salty to drink or use in agriculture.
In North America, fresh water on earth is contained in groundwater, lakes,
rivers, and glaciers.
Spanning 1.2 million square miles, the Mississippi river basin is an area containing 4 major rivers and their tributaries.
A tributary is a small stream or river that flows into larger rivers or lakes. Every stream and tributary has its own watershed.
A river basin is made up of many different watersheds. A watershed is like a miniture river basin. Whatever happens to surface or groundwater in one part of the river basin will find its way to other parts.
6 major watersheds make up the Mississippi river basin.
Throughout history, rivers and tributaries within the basin have had a strong impact on the growth of America. By using waterways for transportation of goods, commerce and trade in the U.S. expanded.
31 states fall within the basin's area. All of these states' water and pollution regulations affect the health of the shared fresh water resource.
These 50 cities have the largest populations in the basin. Over 50 million people rely on the Mississippi basin for water.
Located in the Yahara watershed, Madison is one of the largest cities in the Mississippi river basin. One issue threatening the freshwater in the Yahara and its connected watersheds is the salination of freshwater in Madison.
Although there are many threats to freshwater, one avertible pollutant is salt.
Salt is used to keep precipitation from freezing on surfaces. Road salt application began in the 1930’s. Once salt enters our waterways it does not break down, it remains in our water.
Salt pollution is a totally preventable issue with simple solutions.
In a region that experiences intensely cold winters, Madisonians need to be educated on how to best use salt to prevent ice.
Often, salt is over applied or used ineffectively. It only takes 1 teaspoon of salt to pollute 5 gallons of water.
When spring comes back around leftover salt on surfaces wash into nearby waterways.
In 2022, Madison applied the least amount of salt to roads than it has in over a decade, 6124.3 tons.
The City of Madison has 778 miles of salt route where salt is applied during storms.
Salt is also spread on parking lots, walkways, and other paved surfaces. These are impervious surfaces, where water cannot seep into the ground, so it runs over it, eventually ending up in the lakes.
Salt, or sodium chloride, has been detected in five out of 22 wells in Madison. Well 14 has especially concerning concentrations of sodium, far exceeding EPA guidelines.
Chloride has contiuned to rise in Madison's lakes.
If you'd like to use less salt this winter, 3 steps will help!
What will you, the City of Madison, and the University of Wisconsin do to protect our freshwater?
Click to discover on lakes or wells to discover more.
Chloride and Sodium measured in mg/L.