Loring Park

Intro: Welcome to Loring Park, full of green grass and beautiful scenery, right in the middle of Minneapolis! Hello, my name is Deni Zoff, and today we are going to be discussing the chloride levels in Minnesota bodies of water, but most importantly in Loring Pond. Now you might be asking, what are chloride levels and why would I care? This is the amount of salt in a body of water. Elevated amounts of chloride can make it unsafe for aquatic life along with the possibility of corrosive water. Fish and other aquatic organisms need chloride to get rid of their excess salt, but too much chloride in their water can cause them to have hyperactivity, jump out of the water, or have spasmodic movements in their tail, fins, or mouth. Chloride also causes corrosive water. This is when aggressive water corrodes pipes and other fixtures. Corrosion can cause lead and copper to reach drinking water and cause leaks in plumbing. I definitely don’t want corrosion in my drinking water, so I can only assume you do not as well! This is why it is important for us to be aware of chloride levels. Salting roads in the winter, as well as water softeners, are the two leading causes of chloride levels rising in Minnesota. We need to do our part to keep chloride levels from rising by switching from salt on roads to sand, cat litter, soap and hot water, or vinegar, as well as salt-free water softeners. Chloride levels have been rising for years now in Minnesota, and Loring Pond was not as bad as it currently is. Loring pond has a chloride concentration of 1273 mg/L while the criteria for protection of aquatic life require levels of less than 600 mg/L (http://www.state.ky.us/nrepc/water/ramp/rmcl.htm#:~:text=Criteria%3A%20Public%20Drinking%20Water%20Standards,L%20for%20short%2Dterm%20exposure (Links to an external site.).).Loring Park is extremely popular. There are always people going for walks, having a picnic, or hammocking at the park. We should all want this to continue being a beautiful place for people to enjoy nature. This is why it is important to keep the water clean and do our part in keeping chloride levels down! We need to protect the animals that live in or around this water, as well as keeping it a place people to visit! If you put salt down to deice your driveway, do me a favor and try using sand. This alternative is a lot cheaper, works right away, and is better for the environment!