WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTANTS CARRIED BY URBAN RUNOFF?
When carrying out development and land management activities in the cities, suburbs, and on roads in between, measures need to be taken for protecting our soil and water resources, or a variety of problems can result. Nonpoint source pollutants carried by urban runoff include sediment, heavy metals, sewage discharges, detergents, solvents, oxygen-demanding organic matter, bacteria, excess nutrients, pesticides, oils and lubricants. Other negative impacts might include disruptions of preexisting drainage patterns and loss of wildlife habitat due to land clearing. The presence and severity of these problems depend on site characteristics, weather conditions during the activities, and practices employed. We can’t control the weather, but we can try to use the best practices that we have available for managing the land and its resources.
