That is apparent in the pressures and demands that accompany growth. What we do on the land is reflected in the quality of our waters. Flathead Lake reflects how well we live in balance with the environment. We hope you'll join in working together to protect water quality for future generations. Top of Page.
Polluted runoff is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground.
As it moves, runoff picks up and carries natural and human-caused pollutants, finally depositing them into rivers, lakes and groundwater. Croplands, livestock feedlots, golf courses, lawns, gardens, roadways, parking lots, construction sites, landfills, city storm sewers, logging operations, residential septic systems, and erosion from streams, river-banks and lake shores are all sources of polluted runoff. Even airborne chemicals and particulates carried into our waters by rain or snow contribute to the problem. The scattered locations of these pollutants and their often unpredictable dispersal make clean up efforts complex and often costly. This is because the waterways within a watershed are interconnected - streams flow into rivers, which flow into lakes.