With the start of school, football season, and the release of all things pumpkin spice, winter road salt is the last thing on people’s minds; but in Delaware County, it is coming to the forefront. The Delaware County Office of Sustainability has teamed up with the Delaware County Conservation District, Penn State Extension Master Watershed Stewards, Pennsylvania Sea Grant, and more than 15 other community organizations to participate in the Stroud Water Research Center’s October Salt Snapshot, a community science stream monitoring event to characterize year-round salt pollution levels and impacts in local streams and rivers.

The event will offer members of Delaware County, and surrounding communities, the opportunity become community scientists by sampling local water ways and submitting them at local universities and watershed protection organizations for testing. This effort builds on the Winter Salt Snapshot held in January during Winter Salt Week, when volunteers documented the immediate impacts of winter road salt use. Delaware County Sustainability Officer Rebecca Yurkovich shared, “We are thrilled to get involved in Stroud’s research this fall and work with an incredible network of partner organizations to ensure that Delaware County is receiving robust and representative sampling across all of our communities.”

The October event will extend that work by sampling during baseflow conditions — when water levels are stable and not influenced by storm runoff — to show how salt pollution persists months after the last snow and ice. Data collected will be added to an online public salt map after the event. Learn more at stroudcenter.org/salt.

This work is incredibly important as road salt damages infrastructure, threatens the health of streams and lakes, and degrades drinking water. The January snapshot showed peak salt impacts in winter; the October snapshot will highlight that contamination is a year-round issue in many urban and suburban streams. Together, these efforts provide a fuller picture of salt pollution and create opportunities for local conversations, education, and solutions.

Delaware County Watershed Specialist Chris Cook shared, “water quality focused projects like this one based out of Stroud Water Research Center, are fantastic for our County to participate in. These efforts are a way for community members to get involved in water quality discussions, so I am most excited to welcome resident volunteers to join us!”
Community members of all ages and abilities are welcome to sign up to perform stream sampling at either a preselected location, or in the stream of their choosing by visiting this Volunteer Sign Up Link. All sampling must take place during stable baseflow conditions within a two-week window, October 1–15, 2025.

Over 200 sampling sites are expected across all municipalities and geographies of Delaware County.

Here is a complete list of County Partner Organizations in the ‘Fall Salt Snapshot’

Event Host

• Stroud Water Research Center

County Organizers

• Delaware County Office of Sustainability
• Delaware County Conservation District
• Penn State Extension Master Watershed Stewards
• Pennsylvania Sea Grant

Municipal Partners

• Concord Township
• Upper Chichester Township
• Eastern Delaware County Stormwater Collaborative
• Newtown Township Environmental Advisory Council

University Partners

• Neumann University
• Penn State Brandywine
• Villanova University
• Widener University

Watershed Groups

• CRC Watersheds
• Darby Creek Valley Association
• NMS Watersheds Alliance

Community Organizations

• Brandywine Conservancy
• Franciscan Spiritual Center
• Newlin Grist Mill
• Tyler Arboretum
• Willistown Conservation Trust