Non-Point Pollution
Nonpoint
pollution is a major factor in water pollution today in the U.S.
Without industrial pollution,
60% of the total pollution will
still exist. Nonpoint pollution includes surface run-off which carries
sediment, organic materials, and
nutrients and toxins. Nonpoint pollution affects 13000 of 29000 miles
of Ohio’s water streams. Major
contributors of nonpoint pollution are from the agriculture,
construction sites, acid mine drainage,
oil and gas wells, septic tanks, land based waste treatment,
logging, modification of streams,
and underground injection wells. They can degrade the water into
qualities where it is not fit for
wildlife or human uses. Excess nutrients fed into a river will cause decay
of plants and deplete oxygen.
Eventually destroys wildlife habitat.
Non-point
pollution is pollution from a broad origin or area. The Cuyahoga
River Remedial Action
Plan (RAP) identified 19 origins
of non-point source pollution that impact the Cuyahoga and Lake Erie.
These include farms, landfills,
storm water, oil, new developments, construction areas, streets, waste
sites, suburban neighborhood, industrial
storage yards, atmospheric deposition, and unregulated chemical
spills. 50% of the pollution
comes from non-point pollution, which affects drinking water and aquatic
life. Within the Cuyahoga watershed,
the four most significant are storm water run-off, sedimentation,
atmospheric deposition, and hazardous
waste sites. Storm run-off pick up chemicals like oil and
pesticides. Sedimentation caused
by erosion carries debris into the river. Chemicals from hazardous
waste sites are carried by ground
water and storm run-off. Fall-out of air pollution lands directly into
the
waterways. We can prevent
pollution by recycling, use less chemicals, coordinate storm
drain, become more informed, and
involved in your community to help stop erosion and
sedimentation.