Soil moisture, electrical conductivity, and soil temperature for two stormwater basins with different levels of salt inputs in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

This dataset contains measurements of soil moisture, electrical conductivity, and soil temperature collected from two stormwater bioinfiltration basins in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, between January 2022 and May 2023. The two basins were selected to represent contrasting levels of road salt inputs during winter maintenance activities, allowing for comparison of soil hydrologic and salinity dynamics under different salt exposure conditions. Soil sensors were installed at multiple depths (approximately 3 inches and 6 inches below the soil surface) in each basin to capture vertical variability in moisture, temperature, and salinity. Electrical conductivity measurements are used as a proxy for soil salinity, enabling investigation of salt transport, accumulation, and persistence following winter storm events. The dataset also includes indicators of salt application days to support event-based analyses. The dataset is provided as two comma-separated value (CSV) files corresponding to the high-salt and low-salt basins, along with a README file that documents sensor locations, variable definitions, units, and data structure. These data support research on stormwater infrastructure performance, road salt impacts on urban soils, and seasonal hydrologic processes in cold-climate urban environments.