Why are impervious surfaces a problem?
• An impervious surface is any area that cannot easily absorb water. They include: streets, sidewalks, parking lots, driveways, roof tops, soil that has been packed down because of high traffic and soil that has certain geographic characteristics that does not allow water to be absorbed quickly. • When a pollutant is spilled on to an impervious surface, it stays there until water washes it away. • When the same pollutant is spilled on loose soil, it travels through the ground and is partially filtered out of the water. How does nonpoint source pollution effect the environment? • The environmental impacts are gradual, but severe. Over time, the pollutants build up in the waterway and settle in the tissue of fish, sediment bottom and the banks of rivers. • Water becomes murky and polluted, rendering it unsafe for people to swim or fish in. • Sediment – ordinary soil – is the number one pollutant of our nation’s waterways. When soil enters a waterway as a result of erosion, it prevents su
