What Is Storm Water Runoff?

     Heavy metals, such as copper, lead, mercury, and selenium are another group of toxins that pollute the water as well as the rest of the environment. The source of many of these pollutants are industries, automobile exhaust, mines, and even natural soil.

Water contamination is vastly becoming an alarming issue across the world. We rely on clean water to survive, yet right now we are heading towards a water crisis. Changing climate patterns are threatening lakes and rivers, and key sources that we tap for drinking water are being overdrawn or tainted with pollution (www.nrdc.org). Clean and plentiful water is the cornerstone of prosperous communities. Yet as we enter the 21st century, swelling demand and changing climate patterns are

All the inhabitants of Flint communities regardless of their location had irreversible, permanent brain damage due to lead-contaminated water. It started when traces of E. coli and total coliform were found in the Flint River. The city addressed this problem by increasing chlorine levels in the water, causing the pipes to corrode, releasing lead into the waters. Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) were also formed in the water (they are carcinogenic to humans).TTHM is a disinfection byproduct that occur when chlorine interacts with organic matter in the water. At this stage, The lead levels in the water was 13,200 ppb. Water is considered hazardous waste at 5,000ppb (NPR 2016). This tragedy goes to show that this toxic runoff, or even the miss-handling of the water resources in a watershed can affect everyone as the downstream water was piped up into the upstream communities.

Not only is pollution the cause of the death of many organisms essential to ecological balance, but human drinking water has also been affected.

With all the contaminations of our drinking water people are greatly affected on a daily basis. People expose to a lot of diseases such as cholera, stomach viruses and this severe cases this can even lead to death. The death rates in developing counties are at its highest right now. Human are not only the ones affected animals also suffer the consequences of our ignorance example a herbicide call Atrazina which is use to kill weeds is said to be found most in or drinking water, streams and rivers is said to be responsible for the low sperm count in animals, such as fish and frogs, often times become cross gender and in most cases may result into death. Studies have also

Why is stormwater harmful to the Chesapeake Bay? Storm water is harmful because as it travels it picks up pollutants like fertilizers, sediments, and litter. All of this waste can end up going into streams and rivers. It is destructive for the ecosystems, but there are ways to help prevent this from happening.

Storm water runoff gets formed by man-made areas such as driveways, parking areas and roofs. All of these types of surfaces are waterproof surfaces, so when they are placed around lakes, they tend to collect and transport precipitation over the land instead of allowing the water to penetrate into the soil. Storm water runoff affects the soil greatly along with all of the wild life and vegetation that needs the soil to live and form. That is the reason that areas of land around the lakes in Michigan have soil with lesser value than other

This situation showcases the major dependency on the unique physical and chemical properties of water by displaying the results of water contamination. The switch from Detroit to Flint water system proved to be a fatal decision as the chemical and physical properties of the water were altered by both the iron and lead metals. The addition of high levels of chloride left the water exposed to contamination of lead and iron. The corrosion of the pipes occurred when the chlorine disinfectant reacted with the elemental metals of iron and lead. The chemical property of water was altered with these high levels of lead, chloride, and iron. This contamination also left the water with different physical properties such as a reddish-brown colour and a pungent odour as opposed to a colourless and odourless liquid. The manipulated physical and chemical properties of water led to irritability, developmental delay, learning difficulties, hearing loss, and many more. Thus, this situation showcases how living things depend for their survival on the unique physical and chemical properties of water as with these alterations it can lead to lethal consequences.

One of the recurring problems at Howard County is the large quantities of stormwater runoff that flow into nearby streams. This is due to meteorological factors and physical characteristics including: land use changes. The more impervious surfaces there are the more surface runoff there will be; thus, placing adverse effects upon the environment. To be exact, these stormwater runoffs carry car oils, fertilizers, pet waste, litter, and sediment to the Chesapeake bay. Hence, 20% of the chesapeake bay’s pollution is due to stormwater runoff. However, not only does storm water contribute to pollution, but it also harms wildlife and its environment, as well as cause floods, erosion, and property damage. To address such issue, Howard Community College

Storm water is a great danger to the environment because it does not receive any treatment before entering waterways. A storm can overload the system, causing it to reach its max capacity. The water treatment plant is then forced to let the overflowing, untreated, water dump into the river. This leads to an almost opaque water, like that found in the Puget Sound. There is an average of 900 billion gallons of untreated sewage water entering larger bodies of water each year in the United States (Barnett). The rain that falls on surfaces drains into bodies of water through storm water collection systems, usually, without treatment. There is a strong relationship between concrete thickness and imperviousness in residential areas, leading researchers to believe that roads create impervious surfaces. When rain down the streets and rooftops, it absorbs all the harmful materials from those surfaces and flows into the major bays and the Puget Sound. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the remodeling of the aging water system would cost between $300 billion to $1 trillion over the next 20 years (Barnett).

Be that as it may, some have been waterborne. In 1999, individuals wound up noticeably debilitated subsequent to drinking polluted water in Washington County, New York and from swimming in tainted

Water pollution impacts how humans and other living organisms live their life. Most common way humans are effected by water pollution is through diseases while drinking the water. Scientists have found over “five hundred different types of diseases” that can affect humans. (Book). These diseases get into the water streams by human and animal wastes. The diseases in the water can often lead to death for humans. Recent research has shown that that each year

The health hazards for humans who come in contact with contaminants from exposure to polluted water can have long term effects on the body causing possible organ failure and death. Contaminants and chemicals such lead and mercury can bring about many minor illnesses ranging from nausea, lung irritation, skin rash, vomiting, and dizziness, to the major diseases that include cancer, liver and kidney damage, disorders of the nervous system, damage to the immune system, birth defects and even death.

The way this happens is best put by the Erie County, NY Environment & Planning Department, They say “Rain and snowmelt wash pollutants from streets, construction sites, and land into storm sewers and ditches. Eventually, these empty the polluted stormwater directly into streams and rivers with no treatment. This is known as stormwater pollution” ("How Can YOU Prevent Stormwater Pollution?") This problem may seem insignificant to humans, yet it isn’t according to the American Journal of Public Health “Drinking water outbreaks have been linked to runoff; more than half of the documented waterborne disease outbreaks since 1948 have followed extreme rainfalls.” (Gaffield et al.) When the stormwater is in the drainage system of a city it sits there in no sunlight and which lets bacteria die off but that creates a cloud of bacteria in the water that can still be dangerous to human, animals, and other wildlife.

The primary issue this intervention will focus upon is the contamination of clean drinking water. Floods can cause water to pick up potentially harmful chemicals from agricultural land or pretty much any place where humans live or work, anything from large amounts of pesticides and fertilizer to industrial chemicals and human waste. Diarrhea, Dengue Fever, Hepatitis A, and Rotavirus are just a few among many water borne illness and diseases that are often associated with flooded waters. Often salmonella, E. coli, and high levels of lead are other toxins that are frequently tested positive for, although there are many, many more than the ones listed here.