Have you ever walked next to a stream and seen trash floating in the water? Do you know how it gets there? Every time it rains, the water runs off the land. It picks up things that can hurt the stream. We call these things pollutants. They include dirt, oil from your family’s car or lawn mower, litter, and chemicals such as fertilizers.

The polluted water flows into street drains and ditches. Eventually it flows into streams and creeks and rivers.

Never dump anything that you would not want to drink or swim in on the ground, in the street or down a storm drain. It will go into a river, lake or stream.

Water can clean itself if it is not too dirty. When pollutants get into a stream, they often settle out, break down, or become diluted. However, water becomes polluted if it contains too much of a substance. If a substance is very toxic, even a small amount can pollute the water in a stream or lake.

Types of Pollution

Water pollution is either “point source pollution” or “nonpoint source pollution.” The difference between the two types of pollution is simple. Point source pollution usually comes out of a pipe from a factory or a sewage treatment plant. Think of it this way: You can point to the source.

Nonpoint source pollution is harder to fix. It does not come from one specific place. It comes water that that runs off yards, streets, roofs, parking lots and landfills.

When a lake or river gets polluted, it may not be safe to swim or wade in the water because of germs. Fish, frogs and other animals that live in the water might die.

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