SALT & WATER

 

Rust Never Sleeps
  The skies are growing darker, as are the forecasts, and soon snow will be falling. Salt flakes will also fill the air, and later the water. Not just our vehicles are affected. 
   Concern about salt pollution was raised in two articles that came out around the same time last spring and I happened to notice them; one was about Muskoka to the north of us and the other New York state to the south. Consider this another public service announcement (PSA).

   "Muskoka First in Ontario to Call for Provincial Action on Road Salt Pollution: Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition Also Raising Issue with Conservation Authority, City of Barrie, Town of Georgina" Staff, Orillia Matters - news release, Mar. 19, 2025. Here are some of the important bits:

   "As the dust settles from the provincial election, Muskoka is wasting no time when it comes to tackling road salt impacts.  On Monday, Muskoka became the first Ontario jurisdiction to pass a resolution declaring the need for provincial action on salt pollution from road salt. The District of Muskoka council passed a resolution which asks the province to both advance limited liability for the snow and ice management sector and to create a stakeholder advisory committee to advise the province on managing salt pollution in Ontario’s lakes and rivers.he resolution was initiated and moved by Muskoka District chair Jeff Lehman, who issued the following statement: “The district is pleased to work with local cottage associations, the landscaping industry, and environmental groups to help mitigate the impacts of salt and ensure the right amount is used in the right way in the right places. Building on previous district work and commitments, we look forward to continuing to improve lake health and provide leadership in reducing the environmental impact of road salt in Muskoka.”...  
   Ontario is Canada’s No. 1 user of winter salt, applying approximately two million to three million tonnes of salt each winter. Road salt is a known toxic substance designated under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act because of tangible threats including serious, irreversible environmental and public health damages. Other impacts to drinking water sources, critical public infrastructure (roads, bridges, buildings), and private property are also important concerns.  Currently, there are no provincial policies or regulations for road salts, including no salt use standards, required training, enforcement mechanisms, or protections against salt pollution.... 
   Municipalities, conservation authorities, non-governmental organizations, and businesses alike have been warning about the growing impact of salt pollution and oversalting for decades, to no avail. Now, they’re banding together to ensure this issue gets the attention and action it needs.
   The reaction to this move was positive and more details are provided in: "Very positive response’: Residents’ Group Applauds Muskoka Council’s Decision on Road Salt Issue: Resolution Aims to Reduce Usage While Ensuring Road and Sidewalk Safety Concerns About ncreasing Chloride Levels in Lakes rompted Action," Brent Cooper, Muskokaregion.com., March 22, 2025:
   "A representative from a Muskoka group concerned with the region’s environment is applauding a District of Muskoka move to tackle the ongoing issue of road salt in area lakes.
Here’s what you need to know
Jim Davis, who is a director with the Gull and Silver Lakes Residents’ Association, is praising the district council’s passing of a resolution on March 17, which commits its ongoing efforts toward the reduction of road salt as much as possible, while maintaining safety on roads and sidewalks.“Protecting the water quality of our lakes is the No. 1 concern for our association,” he said after the March meeting. “The continued use of road salt, resulting in every-increasing chloride levels, poses a serious threat to the lake health of Gull and Silver Lakes, and lakes throughout Muskoka. The resolution passed by district council is a very positive response to an environmental problem that is entirely man-made.”

The New York State Salt Situation
    Here is the other article, which indicates that the problem is widespread in snowy northern regions:
   "Salty Suburban Roads Are Clouding the Future of N.Y.C. Drinking Water: A new environmental report finds that rising salt levels in New York City’s water supply could make some of it undrinkable by the turn of the century," Hilary Howard, New York Times, March 25, 2025.
   "Road salt is leaching into the reservoirs that hold New York City’s tap water and could make some of it unhealthy to drink by the turn of the century, according to a new study commissioned by city environmental officials….“We just need people who operate roads to start realizing that this is a chemical that we are adding to our environment, and we have to take that seriously,” Mr. Aggarwala said.
Road salt is cheap and plentiful, but it is also dangerous for the environment and corrosive for infrastructure. New York City’s pristine tap water is a source of pride among residents and local leaders. Most of it, about 90 percent, comes from rural areas in the Catskill Mountains, a range that extends more than 125 miles north of New York City. It represents the largest unfiltered water supply in the United States."
   The study mentioned is this one and it has a literature review: “Salinity Management Assessment”, Bureau of Water Supply, NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection, March 21, 2025,  35 page pdf.

  The solutions to the salt situation are not obvious and the prohibition of it would likely make some people in the Goderich area unhappy. 
Some Salt Sources:
   ONTARIO SALT POLLUTION COALITION
   WATER WATCHERS

                                                       WATER

   More recently, the problem is not salty water, but the shortage of drinking water. Just two examples from the east and the west:

  "What Happens When the Well Runs Dry? After Months of Drought, Nova Scotians are Finding Out," Barry Rueger, Special to The Globe and Mail, Oct.1, 2025
and:
  "As Water Dries up in Northeast B.C., Some Want Industry Paying More to Pump the Precious Resource," Matt Preprost,CBC, Nov. 2, 2025.
   Of course, out in B.C. the salmon are also affected by the salt:
"B.C. Researchers Find Road Salt Most Toxic to Salmon During 24 hours After Egg Fertilization; The updated research reveals how road salt is also having a negative effect on developing chum salmon," Tiffany Crawford, Vancouver Sun, Nov. 2, 2025.

The Bonus:
  I generally make fun of the notion of "breaking news", but these stories just broke as this was being written, the point being that, the lack of water is even a local problem.
 " $400M Water Upgrade Needed as St. Thomas Industrial Boom Spikes Demand: If the provincial government does not help, water users, including homeowners and businesses, will pay more," London Free Press, Nov.6, 2025.
  ‘We Were Not Expecting it for Another 30 Years’: $400 million water plant expansion for PowerCo could sink municipal finances," Byan Bicknell, CTV News, Nov.6, 2025

Evidence Of End Times at Costco?

    It is accidental that I have covered Costco in three posts over recent months. In one, I called to your attention the fact that Costco was going to stop selling books and, in the others, that the company was now purveying both gold and silver (the links to those subjects are provided in that sentence.) Costco is again a topic because the company we all associate with abundance is now selling something that will be useful when we are dealing with scarcity. 

   The new product can be loosely described as "food" and more closely as "meals ready to eat" (MREs.) This chow is constituted in such a way that it will last during the long lean years that may soon arrive. The good news is, I suppose, that Costco shoppers can also become preppers without much effort. The bad is that apparently the food does not taste very good. 

   I know about this and am again writing about Costco because of this article: "Costco's Emergency Food Kit Makes Us Dread the Apocalypse Even More: The Buckets Sold at Costco Include Just-add-water Packets That Are Supposed to be Edible For 25 Years - They're Not Good," Emily Hall, Washington Post, August 9. 2024. Although the article is helpful and you learn, from just the title that the meals are not delicious, she does not let us know where we can get the water when the time comes.

Be Prepared
   If you are not a prepper type, or eschatologically inclined, you may pooh-pooh the notion that a backup larder of food is something for which you should start shopping. On the other hand, without an actual Armageddon or apocalypse there are reasons to believe that food could suddenly become scarce and, chances are, you don't know how to grow a turnip.
  There was, for example, the "Northeast Blackout of 2003", and although it only lasted for hours, it seemed like Armageddon since the food in the freezer was starting to melt and we couldn't access our electronic devices to find out how to start growing turnips.
   That the power could suddenly go off and stay off for quite a while was the subject of another recent article which made more resonant the Costco one and it doesn't mention climate changes or earthquakes either of which could leave us hungry and in the dark. The power could go off on purpose and because of people. In short, "Why White Supremacists Are Trying to Attack Energy Grids," Sara Ruberg, The New York Times, Aug. 8, 2024. (By the way, they are not the only ones.)

CANCON

   It is only mildly reassuring that, like most of the food we eat, we will be able to buy MREs from somewhere else. I didn't go to Costco to check the shelves, but it appears that the container pictured above is available to order online. If you think the neighbours or other family members might come foraging, larger quantities are available from other suppliers. For example: 

  Or, if you are among the growing numbers of Canadians who no longer want to work and think the government should feed them, then let your local government representative know that bulk quantities of MREs are available for purchase.

Sources: 

   The bulk order above is available from Total Prepare Inc. Canada. 

   See also: Survival Food: "Canada's Survival Food Experts."
   Or shop locally at: "Forest City Surplus Canada."

"Making Light of Heavy Things Since 2016"