Storm water goes untreated into the ocean.
When it rains, water collects in the streets and travels through the gutters, into a catch basin. The stormwater is then transported through underground pipes called storm drains. The water empties from the storm drains and eventually flows out of a pipe and directly into the ocean. The reason for this is simple, when it rains wastewater treatment plants can not handle the vast amount of run-off that is created almost instantly. This means that any trash, organic materials, or hazardous chemicals which are dumped in the street can pollute our ocean.