Anything dumped or dropped on the ground or in the gutter can end up in the nearest body of water. Stormwater pollution results from materials and chemicals washed into the storm drains from streets, gutters, neighborhoods, industrial sites, parking lots and construction sites. This type of pollution is significant because, unlike the water that goes down a sink or toilet in your home, stormwater is untreated and flows directly to a lake, river, or the ocean.

Stormwater systems were originally intended to route rainwater quickly off the streets during a heavy storm.

Unfortunately, these systems can carry pollutants such as pesticides, bacteria and chemicals through city streets and straight to our waters. Stormwater pollution can include chemicals, fast food wrappers, cigarette butts, Styrofoam cups, sewage overflow, cooking oil, bacteria from pet waste, used motor oil, fertilizers, paint and construction debris.

Used oil from a single oil change can pollute up to one million gallons of freshwater.

Improper disposal of used oil, which includes oil leaking from cars, contributes significantly to stormwater pollution. The EPA estimates that American households improperly dump about 193 million gallons of used oil every year, or roughly the equivalent of 17 Exxon Valdez oil spills.

And household cleaners can hurt the environment as well, if not disposed of properly. One ounce of household bleach requires 312,000 ounces of water to be safe for fish. Even biodegradable soaps can pose problems for aquatic life — in order for one ounce of biodegradable detergent to be safe for fish, it needs to be diluted by almost 20,000 ounces of water.

What can I do to prevent stormwater pollution?

The EPA controls storm water pollution at industries and construction sites by inspecting sites and enforcing the agency's requirements. However, a significant amount of storm water pollution is caused by everyday human activities that are not regulated by the EPA – washing and maintaining cars, littering, watering lawns, etc. There are many simple, basic steps people can do each day to prevent storm water pollution:

• Don't dump waste into storm drains.
• Keep yard clippings out of the street.
• Dispose of household chemicals properly by following the directions on the package or by calling the local public works department for proper disposal guidelines.
• Clean up oil spills and fix leaking automobiles.
• Use drip pans to catch engine oil and other pollutants while repairing cars.
• Recycle used motor oil.
• Sweep driveways clean instead of hosing them down.
• Water your lawn by hand, or adjusted sprinklers to avoid over-watering. If any water flows off your lawn, you're using too much water.
• Wash your car at a commercial car wash, or at least wash your car on an unpaved surface so the excess water can be absorbed by the ground.
• Drain swimming pools and spas into a sanitary sewer outlet, never into a street. Check first with your local wastewater treatment plant before disposing of anything in the sewer.

Information Courtesy: Featured Story: Stormwater Runoff (www3.epa.gov)