Question

Explain why reducing surface runoff is the most general way to reduce water pollution.
short paragraph

Answer 1

Surface runoff is the main transport pathway by which fertilizers, pesticides, sediment, oil, heavy metals and pathogens are carried from urban and agricultural land into rivers, lakes and coastal waters, so reducing runoff cuts the delivery of many different pollutants at once. Unlike treating individual contaminants in water, controlling runoff — through measures such as increasing infiltration, vegetated buffers, retention basins and soil conservation — prevents pollutants from leaving the landscape, reduces erosion and lowers stormwater volumes that overwhelm sewers. Because it addresses the varied, diffuse (nonpoint) sources that cause most water pollution, reducing surface runoff is the most general and effective way to reduce overall pollutant loads.