ROAD SALT CONTAMINATION OF NATURAL SPRINGS IN THE PENNSYLVANIAN SHARON SANDSTONE, CUYAHOGA FALLS, OHIO

A total of 45 water samples were collected from 39 springs and seeps that flow from the Pennsylvanian aged Sharon Sandstone at Gorge Metro Park, Cuyahoga Falls Ohio. Samples were from four different areas, the Glen trail, Gorge trail, High Bridge trail and sites containing the endangered Northern Monkshood. The geology of the four sites is similar with natural springs and seeps emerging from fractures, thin conglomeratic beds and the contact between the Sharon and underlying Meadville Shale. The samples were analyzed for discharge, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, major anions, and major cations. The spring discharge ranged from less than .1 mL/sec to 550 mL/sec. The total dissolved solids (TDS) ranged from 288 to 4733 mg/L. All of the samples were classified as alkali-chloride-rich on a piper diagram with the exception of two samples from the High Bridge trail, which were classified as mixed-cation-bicarbonate-rich. The 1:1 molar ratio of Na to Cl and strong correlation between Cl and TDS (R²=.994) indicates that halite is the major dissolved solid in these spring waters. Br/Cl ratios from a previous study indicate that the source of the halite is road salt. There was no significant difference between the average TDS of springs emerging from the base of the Sharon Formation at the unconformity and those emerging from within the Sharon Formation. There was a statistically significant difference between the average TDS of springs from the Gorge trail (TDS=605 mg/L), Glen trail (TDS=1278 mg/L), and Northern Monkshood sites (TDS=2072 mg/L). The level of TDS in the springs can be related to the amount of traffic and degree of salting of nearby roads. The park boundary along the Gorge trail, which has the lowest TDS, is in a residential area. The Glen trail is parallel to a major thoroughfare, Front Street, and the Northern Monkshood sites, which have the highest TDS, are in close proximity to a major divided highway, State Route 8.