Question

. Which action most directly reduces water quality and harms aquatic life?

Group of answer choices

Using fertilizer that washes into a river

Building walking trails with permeable gravel

Picking up trash at a beach cleanup

Planting native grasses along a stream

Answer 1

Using fertilizer that washes into a river.

Explanation: fertilizer runoff adds excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) to the water, causing algal blooms and eutrophication that deplete oxygen and create dead zones — directly degrading water quality and harming aquatic life.