America's Rivers Are Getting Saltier
... which can cause big problems for aging pipes that carry drinking water.
America’s freshwater is changing. According to an analysis of 232 sites in streams and rivers over several decades, it has become saltier in some places, and in almost all places, it’s becoming less acidic and more alkaline. These two processes may be related, and researchers have dubbed it “freshwater salinization syndrome.”
There are many likely causes: road salt (particularly in the Midwest and Northeast, where increased freshwater salinity is concentrated), sewage, mining,
