The Road to Cleaner Water: How to Prevent Roads from Polluting Waterways
Dusan Petkovic

(Feature Impact) Everyone loves driving on clean highways and spotless local roads. Few people, however, realize the benefits of clean roads go well beyond mere aesthetics. Cleaner roads also mean cleaner and healthier local rivers, lakes and beaches.

That’s because harmful pollutants in local waters often run off untreated from highways and roads during strong storms. Those rains sweep trash, dripped oil, harmful chemicals and even dangerous bacteria from pet waste into local waters via stormways and sewers. This untreated runoff can affect people’s health, make water unsafe for swimming and harm aquatic life. Every year, such man-made “stormwater pollution” even closes portions of recreational rivers and beaches.

Recommended for you