In 2013, U.S. officials applied about 17 million tons of salt to roads to melt snow and ice. While it helps keep roads safe, road salt damages metal and concrete, contaminates drinking water, and harms aquatic ecosystems — with up to 70% of it staying within the watershed.

The U.S. is the world’s second-largest salt producer, after China, and imports around 12 million tons annually, mainly from Canada and Chile. Most rock salt originally formed from ancient oceans that have long since evaporated, leaving massive underground salt deposits.

Read the full article on our website: Where Does All the Road Salt Come From?