HIGH RESOLUTION SURFACE WATER AND SOIL ANALYSIS OF A CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS WATERSHED

Road salt applications during the winter months can impact stream ecosystems, soils, roadside plant vegetation and critical infrastructure. The purpose of this project was to analyze ten different locations along the Millers River watershed consisting of forested to urban watersheds. At each location, continuous data loggers were installed to measure specific conductance (SC), a proxy variable for salinity, in 30 minute intervals, as well as temperature. Soil samples were collected once a season at each site in a transect perpendicular to a roadside at 0 m, 5 m, and 10 m and prepared into saturated paste extracts by sieving the soil, weighing out 300g, then mixing with deionized water until saturated. Pore water was extracted through a vacuum, then analyzed. Streamwater grab samples and saturated paste soil extracts were measured for pH, as well as sodium and chloride concentration. Initial results show that urbanized areas have higher streamwater SCs, with one site ranging from 70 to 7234 µS/cm, with a mean of 1597 µS/cm, while rural areas have lower streamwater SCs typically <100 µS/cm. Saturated paste extract data indicated that pH ranged from 5.7 to 7.7, and paste SC ranged from 40.1 to 33,888 µS/cm. These initial findings highlight the impact of de-icing practices and urbanization on soil and surface water.