Local researcher warns of lasting consequences for environment when using road salt.

While road salt is a critical tool for keeping drivers safe during northwest Ohio’s icy winters, a local researcher warns that the “messy set of dominoes” it sets off in local waterways could have lasting consequences for the environment and public health. As salt washes off roads, driveways and sidewalks, it eventually flows into the Maumee River and Lake Erie, raising salinity levels to a point that concerns scientists, according to William Hintz, an associate professor at the University of Toledo Lake Erie Center.