What is Runoff Pollution?
Polluted runoff is one of the most harmful sources of pollution to the Bay and its waters. And much of it starts right in the urban and suburban neighborhoods where we live.
As rainwater runs off our streets, parking lots, lawns, and other surfaces, it picks up pet waste, pesticides, fertilizer, oil, and other contaminants. This polluted runoff typically is not filtered in the way that wastewater is treated at a sewage plant. If the draining water doesn’t evaporate or soak into the ground, it flushes straight into local creeks, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay, adversely affecting water quality and aquatic life.
What Are Examples of Runoff Pollution?
Urban and suburban stormwater runoff erodes streams, kills fish, pollutes swimming beaches, floods homes, and causes many other problems. Stormwater runoff collects an often-toxic mix of pollutants including:
- Trash
- Soil and sediment
- Fecal bacteria
- Nitrogen and phosphorus
- Oil and other petroleum products
- Pesticides and herbicides
- Road salt
- Toxic metals including copper, lead, and zinc
Effects of Runoff Pollution
The effects of runoff pollution are vast and long-lasting. Runoff pollution has an impact on drinking water, the health of marine life, and it is literally changing the landscape of our watershed by:
- Reshaping the Watershed: Strong currents of runoff scour stream banks, destabilizing the natural contours of the streams and even altering their depths.
- Affecting the Quality of Water: Runoff muddies drinking water sources and carries bacteria, making the treatment and use of such water more expensive
- Endangering Aquatic Life: Eroded dirt from the runoff blocks sunlight from reaching underwater grasses and smothers the aquatic homes of oysters and other life. As grasses and marine life die, fish and other creatures that rely on them are placed in jeopardy. The runoff also carries nutrients that spur algae blooms that cause low oxygen and kill fish.
Not only wildlife is endangered by stormwater pollution; residents of the watershed region are deeply affected, too. Polluted runoff from urban and suburban areas is:
- Contaminating Recreation Areas: Virginia and Maryland caution people not to swim in waterways for 48 hours after a heavy rain, as polluted runoff carrying bacteria has resulted in serious illnesses.
- Increasing Water Damage: In urban and suburban areas where ground surfaces have been hardened and the polluted water has no place to go, local streets and basements often flood, causing repeated and costly damage to homes and businesses.
Solutions for Runoff Pollution
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
One promising solution to mitigate runoff pollution is to create “green infrastructure.” The idea is simple: Slow down and soak up the runoff. Strategic greening efforts include:
- Planting rain gardens and other natural spaces in key drainage areas
- Replacing old pavement with pervious pavement wherever possible
- Planting gardens on rooftops
- Planting trees
These and other green solutions not only are cost-effective, they provide secondary social benefits: shade, wildlife habitat, a more pleasant neighborhood, to name a few. We call this the “green filter” approach to managing runoff.
CBF has introduced local Bay jurisdictions to a new way of financing these green filters. It's called "impact investment." It helps slow down and soak up runoff, and also creates local sustainable jobs and more healthy, vibrant communities. Learn more about the latest such project in Hampton Roads, Virginia.
Join Us in Saving the Bay from Runoff Pollution
Additional information about stormwater management can be found at the following websites:
The Center for Watershed Protection
Low Impact Development Center
Low Impact Development Urban Design Tools
From Our Blog
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CBF’s Rain Garden Maintenance Specialist Brings Environmental Justice to a Harrisburg Neighborhood
October 17, 2018
Garden mud, rain, and rocks were Rafiyqa Muhammad's playground growing up in a south-Harrisburg, PA neighborhood. Today, she's back in that neighborhood, empowering the community through rain gardens and green infrastructure.
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Students Determined to Continue Efforts to Recognize Hellbenders
December 11, 2018
Despite stalling out in the Pennsylvania House, these students aren't giving up on saving and recognizing Eastern hellbenders.
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Quality Water, Soil, and Sales on the Menu at Field Day on Misty Mountain Farm
October 3, 2018
At Pennsylvania's Misty Mountain Farm, riparian forest buffers, no-till, and cover crop farming techniques improve soil and water quality, leading to success for business and the Bay.
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The Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint is Working
August 23, 2018
This is a critical time for bay restoration. At the halfway point between 2010 and 2025 the question is: Are we on track?
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Stop Pipelines' Devastation of Virginia Waterways
August 21, 2018
Recent months have deluged Virginians with storms and heavy rainfall, causing flooded roads, washed-out embankments, and mudslides. In the case of Mountain Valley Pipeline construction, these summer storms triggered extensive damage to Virginia's rivers and streams.
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Video
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Case Study: Homeowner's Living Shoreline Stops Erosion
10 Nov 2020 00:03:55See how Virginia waterfront property owner Norman Colpitts uses a cost-effective living shoreline to protect his property while benefiting the environment. The living shoreline includes a small oyster reef to prevent erosion on his property. These oysters create wildlife habitat, filter and clean the water, and slow down waves before they erode the shore.
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Raging Water on the Susquehanna
31 Jul 2018 Pavoncello Media Productions 00:02:16This video captures the devastating effects of heavy rains that pummeled Pennsylvania the week of July 23, 2018. These scenes were shot on July 26, the day before the river crested.
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James River Runoff
09 May 2017 Facebook 00:00:11The James River in Richmond overflowed its banks after heavy rain washed huge amounts of dirt and pollutants into the current. Clear, clean water turned the color of chocolate milk. Even days after the storm the surge continues as runoff flows 200 miles downstream from the headwaters.
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