Phase 1 Chloride Feasibility Study for the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area

The purpose of the Metro Chloride Feasibility Report is to obtain a better understanding of the extent and magnitude of chloride contamination to surface waters in the seven county Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (TCMA) and to explore options and strategies for addressing chloride impairments and other impacts to water resources. Among the objectives of this analysis was to determine the feasibility of addressing chloride contamination on a Metro-wide scale. However, the existing data was sufficient to conclude that there does appear to be an empirical relationship between road salt and chloride concentration in streams. This study found that in the TCMA the best predictor of winter stream median chloride concentration is the amount of road salt applied in the stream’s watershed.