They’re on every street side, openings in the pavement where there may or may not be an insidious clown hiding (just kidding!). Storm drains take water that can flood the streets and lead it back to the ocean, removing the dangers of floods and erosion from city streets. In moving this water, however, it is possible that pollutants can be scooped up and deposited in our lakes, rivers, and oceans.
The EPA estimates that Americans dump at least 200 million gallons of pollutants into the ocean every year. These pollutants are largely from oil and petroleum products, soaps and detergents, and other types of run-off that people may casually dispose of in the streets. Refuse and rubbish is also carried in large quantities to the ocean by storm drains, contributing to the dumping that already takes place, degrading the coastal environment.
