News Briefs: 'Salty Roads, Salty Water' Say Water Utilities

After a punishing winter, full of snowstorms, ice storms and every mix of precipitation Mother Nature could conjure up, many freeways and highways are coated in a thick layer of salt. The New Jersey Department of Transportation has used more than 460,000 tons of salt this year, an 80 percent increase from Winter 2012-13. As spring comes, and runoff season begins, water utilities are on the lookout for increased sodium chloride levels.United Water New Jersey hasn’t yet seen a significant increase in either sodium or chloride, but the facility took a precautionary measure by notifying about 50 nearby medical facilities