Richard Homsi: Road salt contaminates Lakes Region swimming water

To The Daily Sun,

After being a waterfront property owner in Laconia on Lake Winnipesaukee for over 28 years, I have witnessed a lot of what appears strange behavior by our city operations. The algae growth in the lake appears to continually get worse year after year. We see this as we boat and swim as it's pretty obvious. This winter I read an article in The Laconia Daily Sun, that Laconia did not get the correct amount of road salt on one of their deliveries, so the streets may not be as clear as usual. After investigating with The Laconia Public Works Department, I can now responsibly report that Laconia purchased 4,030 tons of road salt which is equal to 8,060 pounds. I also confirmed that Laconia spent $312,071 on the salt used for the 2025-26 winter season. I then investigated if road salt does damage to lakes. The answer is as follows: Road salt severely contaminates lakes, streams and groundwater by increasing chloride concentrations to toxic levels for aquatic life. When snow melts, salt carries into waterways, where it becomes a permanent pollutant that is nearly impossible to remove. It acts as a pollutant in excess, harming fish, invertebrates and algae. It only takes one teaspoon of salt to contaminate 5 gallons of water. Another interesting fact is that there is approximately 7.5 trillion gallons of water in Lake Winnipesaukee.

When I was a child in Gilford in the early '70s and then '80s, we could drive snowmobiles from Dockham Shore Road, down Lily Pond to the airport and the pond. Why is it that with all the newly designed 4WD, AWD and traction control vehicles with ABS, that we need the streets to be bare? Water runs downhill, contaminated as it is, into Lake Winnipesaukee. Be Aware.

Richard Homsi

Laconia