Winter salt taking toll on US water life

Beer and cheese waste tested as states look to reduce salinity levels

CONCORD, New Hampshire - When roads turn into ice rinks, consider trying beet juice, molasses and even beer or cheese waste to make them safer. So say experts who fear road salt is starting to take a toll on the nation's waterways, putting everything from fish and frogs to microscopic zooplankton at risk.

Tossed onto sidewalks and dumped onto highways, salt for decades has provided the cheapest and most effective way to cut down on traffic accidents and pedestrian falls during winter storms. But researchers cite mounting evidence that those tons of sodium chloride crystals - more than 20 million nationwide each year - are increasing the salinity of hundreds of lakes, especially in the Northeast and Midwest.