Summary What is Runoff Pollution?

What is Runoff Pollution?


What is Runoff Pollution?

Have you ever seen water pooling
on the ground after it rains or snow
melts? This water, called runoff,
doesn’t just ow into drains – it can
also carry harmful substances with
it, creating what’s known as runoff
pollution. Runoff pollution happens
when rainwater or melted snow
ows over land and picks up dirt,
chemicals, oil, trash, and other
pollutants. These pollutants are then
carried into nearby rivers, lakes, and
oceans, harming wildlife and
polluting the environment. But what
exactly is runoff pollution, and why
should we be concerned about it? In
this article, we’ll break it down and
explain how it happens.

How Does Runoff Pollution
Happen?

Runoff pollution happens when rainwater or snowmelt
ows across the land and picks up various harmful



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, substances along the way. Normally, when it rains, some
of the water soaks into the soil, while the rest ows across
the ground as runoff. In urban areas, where there are lots
of buildings, roads, and parking lots, the water can’t seep
into the ground very easily, so it runs off the surface. This
runoff picks up pollutants from streets, yards, farms, and
other areas.

Here are some common sources of runoff pollution:
•
• Fertilizers and Pesticides: Farmers use fertilizers to
help plants grow, but when it rains, these chemicals
can wash off farmlands and ow into nearby rivers,
lakes, or streams. Pesticides, used to kill bugs, can



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