WHITEFACE MOUNTAIN LOOMS over the Village of Lake Placid, snow dusting the titanic peak by early October. The smooth surface of Mirror Lake reflects the tranquil scene, but beneath is a problem that has weighed heavily in this forested upstate New York region.
Come winter, crews cover streets with road salt that, sooner or later, washes into the lake. In 2014 scientists learned the lake’s chloride concentration—an indicator of salt pollution—was almost 160 times higher than Adirondack
