Only Rain Down the Storm Drain! Help Prevent Water Pollution
(Conservation Currents, Northern Virginia Soil and Water
Conservation District, Spring 2007) Did you know that the water
that goes down the storm drain on your street flows right into
your local stream? Polluted rain water is the nation’s number
one water quality problem, and you can help do something about
it! This March and April, Fairfax County joined other Northern
Virginia localities in a water pollution prevention campaign to
educate residents about how common household waste and chemicals
can contaminate local streams. The campaign featured a “Only
Rain Down the Storm Drain” message that ran on several radio
stations. Nonpoint source pollution, often called stormwater
runoff pollution, comes from many sources, including parking
lots, lawns, driveways, golf courses, and roads. Rainwater that
runs off these surfaces picks up contaminants like motor oil,
fertilizer, pesticides, and bacteria from pet waste. This
stormwater runoff flows into storm