I needed a quick way to tell friends the reasons to reduce stormwater runoff on their property by installing rain gardens, rain barrels and such, so I made up a mnemonic:

Now Stormwater Can Percolate Down In Time.

• Nutrients from fertilizers cause excessive aquatic plant and algae growth, which depletes oxygen in water. It’s been implicated in red tide blooms, and elevated levels in drinking water can be a danger to humans.
• Sediments like eroded soil and sand from roads bury aquatic ecosystems and make water cloudy. Other pollutants often hitch a ride with them as well.
• Chemicals like pesticides and heavy metals threaten life underwater and above, including us, and they’re are resistant to breakdown.
• Pathogens are bacteria associated with fecal matter that cause diseases. Often result in beach closures and shellfishing bans.
• Debris that floats is plain old litter. It’s bad for aquatic life, and it’s ugly, people.
• Invasive species are exotic plants and animals that threaten to take over our native ecosystems. As the presenter at my NOFA course said, they’re the only pollutant that multiplies! More on them later.
• Thermal pollution is water that’s been heated on roads, etc., in the summer, that burns native species while helping aforementioned invasives to spread.

Spread the word to YOUR friends!