Determine your pesticide's potential for runoff 53 Determine your pesticide's potential for runoff Detailed image. . .
Pesticides can make their way to lakes, rivers, and streams in two basic ways.
Detailed image. . . Or, they can dissolve in runoff water and move with the water as it flows across the surface. That is why the USDA Agricultural Research Service and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service have given pesticides two different runoff ratings. The pesticide runoff potential for adsorption loss indicates which pesticides are more likely to attach to soil particles and move with eroding soil. The runoff potential for solution loss indicates which pesticides are more likely to dissolve in and move with the runoff solution.