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2007-11-05 02:08:03 · 3 answers · asked by Destiny H 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Runoff from peoples' lawns (and farms) and combined sewer overflows (CSOs).
A great deal of water quality problems are caused by too many nutrients being flushed into the water. This causes the 'dead zones' that you may have heard of in the Gulf of Mexico and Chesapeake Bay. The dead zones are areas of oxygen depleted water.
They are caused by nutrients (fertilizer) being washed into the rivers causing an algae bloom. The algae eventually die increasing the biological oxygen demand (BOD), which depletes the water column of oxygen. Without oxygen nothing can live....so you end up with dead zones.
How to prevent it? Stop applying fertilizer to your lawn. Even if you aren't on a body of water, if there is a sewer system, much of the water that goes into the gutter ends up in a stream or river. Much of it is UNTREATED. Especially if there is a large rain event, CSOs dump straight into the river.
Limit the use of fertilizers on crops. Increase setbacks from streams and rivers to cropland.
2007-11-05 03:43:23 · answer #1 · answered by Hex92 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
people too many and all of them are messy
2007-11-05 13:07:50 · answer #2 · answered by Loren S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
http://www.epa.gov/
2007-11-05 11:42:12 · answer #3 · answered by wdmc 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋