# Presentation: 250559

## Watersheds andPolluted Runoff

## The Water Cycle

- Evaporation/ Transpiration/Respiration

- Saturation/ Condensation

- Precipitation

- Infiltration/Run off

## Water: The Ultimate Recycling Process

- The same water that the dinosaurs
- drank is what we use today.

## What is a watershed?

- A watershed is the region which collects water that eventually drains into a lake, river, reservoir, or the ground water.
- Anywhere that you stand on the ground, you are in a watershed.
- A single watershed may include diverse combinations of lands including; forests, glaciers, deserts and/or grasslands

## Your Watershed

- We insert a GIS map of all of the surrounding watersheds of the school being presented to, and have a flag inserted at the schools location.

## What is Polluted Runoff?

- Caused by rain and flood water washing over our nations landscapes, picking up dirt, oil, fertilizer, pesticides, animal waste and other substances
- Substances are then deposited into our rivers, lakes, bays, coastal waters, ground water, and even drinking water supplies.
- 88% of the impairment of our streams and rivers are caused by polluted runoff.

## Polluted Runoff“It’s People Pollution”

**Polluted Runoff****“It’s People Pollution”**

## What are major causes of Polluted Runoff?

- Acid Mine Drainage
- Agriculture
- Urban Runoff

## What is acid mine drainage?

- Caused when water and oxygen flow over iron-bearing minerals such as pyrite or  iron-sulfide and form acid.
- Then dissolves other minerals and rocks, which contaminate surface and groundwater sources
- Caused mainly as a result of abandoned coal mines and currently active mining.
- Degrades more than 4,500 stream miles in Region III causing loss of aquatic life, and restricting stream use for recreation, public drinking water and industrial water supplies.

## What is Polluted Agricultural Runoff?

- Includes nutrients, sediment, pathogens and toxics.
- Is the leading source of water quality problems in lakes and rivers.
- Causes of PAR include confined animal facilities, pesticide spraying, animal grazing, plowing, fertilizing, irrigation, planting, and harvesting.

## What is urban runoff?

- Is the third largest source of water quality impairments to surveyed rivers
- Nonporous surfaces like roads, bridges, parking lots, and buildings are a huge part of the problem – cause flooding
- Attract large amounts of traffic on roadways
- Great deal of waste created

- Independence Mall

**Notes:**
Nonporous surfaces like roads, bridges, parking lots, and buildings do not allow water to slowly filter into the ground.  The water remains at the surface and builds up.  As the excessive amount of water runs off it eats away at stream banks, damages the trees and plants, and widens the streams. 

## What are the affects of Increased Runoff?

- Lower water depths during non-storm periods
- Higher than normal water levels during wet weather periods
- Increased sediment loads
- Higher water temperatures
- Native fish and other aquatic life are stressed by run off

## What can we do to prevent Polluted Runoff?

- Conserve water – inside and out
- Do not fertilize your lawn before a rain storm or over-fertilize it so that the excess runs off into the streets
- Take your car to a car wash where the water is treated and recycled.
- Do not pour anything down your storm drain
- Look for alternative forms of transportation, i.e.car pool, public transportation, bike, etc.

## What can we do to prevent Polluted Runoff?

- Clean up after your pets
- Smart waste disposal, i.e. recycling, using proper receptacles to dispose of waste and hazardous waste, i.e. car batteries, solvents, pesticides, etc.
- Become involved, join your local watershed group or volunteer monitoring organization
- Get informed, learn all you can about your local watershed and about NPS pollution, with knowledge, we can make a difference

## The End

- Presentation created by AmeriCorps VISTAs
-  Eva Murphy and Marissa Pappas