This water joins small streams and wetlands that drain into lakes and rivers and eventually to the ocean. As watershed citizens, all of our actions good or bad impact our lakes, rivers and wetlands. It is each citizen s responsibility to preserve and improve watershed health. No matter where you live, you are part of a watershed. Most of the water in a lake or river comes from somewhere in the watershed.
Pollutants often attach to soil and flow with runoff that drains to lakes and ponds.
When people think of pollution they often think of direct discharges of contaminants such as sewage outfalls. This is called point source pollution. These threats to water quality are easier to identify and eliminate. The origin of nonpoint source pollution or polluted runoff is more difficult to pinpoint because it can originate from anywhere in the watershed. It can come from many sources including over-fertilized lawns and fields, failed septic systems, automobile oil and other pollutants on paved areas and in roadside drainages.