Surface Water Runoff                                                              

What is Runoff?

Runoff occurs when there is more water then the land can absorb.The excess water flows downhill, according to the laws of gravity. Runoff can be sourced from natural processes or by human activity.The most common natural sources of runoff are snow melt, precipitation and soil erosion.Now that the snow has melted and we have experienced a high amount of precipitation, we must be aware of the potential pollutants that have been carried down stream. 

What is the Harm?

Runoff from agricultural land can carry excess nutrients such as nitrogen or phosphorous into streams,lakes and groundwater supply and effect the quality of the water. Runoff from Human activity comes from either a point source or a non point source. A point source pollution is a single source that drains straight into a waterway. A non point source is a collection of pollutants from many different sources that are not all easily identifiable.A positive solution to protecting and treating a water body near you affected by runoff would be to plant a buffer zone between land and water. Another effective way to compensate nutrients is to apply a bacteria treatment,this will help consume the excess nutrients leached into the water from the runoff.