Engineering360: "Retention Ponds May Not be Retaining Much"

Mis-leading headline -and I realise headlines aren't written by the writer of the article.

Retention ponds may not do a good job of processing salt (as it dissolves). But they are well-demonstrated in settling out sediment and the pollutants that adsorb onto soil particles, including the controlling nutrient for freshwaters, the particulate form of Phosphorus.

Watershed managers have struggled with the salt issue for decades. Few affordable alternatives exist, and the safety mission of road managers is hard to counter.

Improved best practices for application, and research into alternatives, are the best ways of addressing this problem.