MCA: Salt Levels in Scott's Run Killing Wildlife

The McLean Citizens Association voted on a resolution this week asking state officials to consider de-icing a section of the Capital Beltway with a low-salt solution to preserve wildlife in Scott's Run, a nature preserve in McLean.

Frank Crandall, chairman of the association's Environment, Parks & Recreation committee, explained high salt de-icers used on I-495 cause salty storm water to trickle down into Scott's Run, killing wildlife near the freshwater stream.

A low salt option "will save much of the wildlife in Scott’s Run," Crandall said.

The resolution, which passed unanimously, also asks the state health department to monitor salt levels in the nature preserve.

"The health department does a certain amount of stream monitoring, particularly for bacteria contamination," Crandall told the rest of the citizens association's board. "It would be very easy to add salt water concentration … that way we would have some consistent reporting on it."