What a surprise and shock to learn that one inch of rainfall on an acre of impervious pavement creates 27,000 gals. of polluted runoff that, if left untreated, flows directly into the local waterways! This runoff collects everything from fertilizer, dog poop to weed killer resulting in a toxic cocktail of pollutants harmful both to humans and aquatic wild life. Further consequences are the erosion on the stream banks, the destruction of habitats and the occurrence of flooding. Every year new parking lots, driveways, roofs and other hardened surfaces from development convert 10,000 acres of green filtering land in the Bay region into hard grey funnel that’s equivalent to an area of land the size of D.C. Our streams, rivers and aquatic life are paying for our negligence. The good news is that there are easy, cost effective measures to reduce this source of pollution. Our state legislators need to appropriate an additional $50 million to assist local runoff control projects for this coming fiscal year when the Va. new runoff management rules are scheduled to be implemented. SO, keep this in mind when you tend to litter, over fertilize your lawn or fail to scoop the poop.
