Rainwater running off roofs, lawns, streets, and parking lots can wash a variety of water pollutants into lakes and streams.
Rainwater running off roofs, lawns, streets, and parking lots can wash a variety of water pollutants into lakes and streams.
These pollutants include nutrients from garden fertilizers; bacteria from pet wastes and rotting litter; sediment from erosion; toxic chemicals from pesticides, gasoline, and trace metals from emissions and grinding car parts (lead, mercury, and cadmium); zinc from roofs and gutters; and road salt or sand.
Discuss how litter contributes to urban water pollution by having the students describe what kinds of litter they frequently see in their community and what happens to it after a heavy rain. Then have students create a plan for their community to reduce the amount of litter in their area.