How Does Storm Water Become Polluted?
You may have asked yourself, If it rains everywhere, how and why is the rain polluted only in Chattanooga? The answer is the rain, itself, is not generally polluted. Storm Water becomes polluted when rain falls to earth and comes into contact with pollutants on parking lots, streets, yards, and buildings. Pollutants we put there. These pollutants are then carried with the storm water until they are discharged downstream into our streams and river. The more pollutants we allow into our river, the sicker the river gets. Did you ever wonder where all those cigarette butts tossed out the car window end up? Yes, in our streams and river. What about that little bit of oil spilled while filling up a lawnmower? Bingo, the first minor rain and it goes into our river. In undeveloped areas, these pollutants are not usually found in high enough quantities to be harmful. However in highly populated areas, like Chattanooga, there is more than enough pollutants to harm our streams and river. Even wor
