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WHERE IT ALL ENDS
Our oceans and lakes are being taxed to their limits . We need to rethink the way we currently manage urban runoff .
HARM TO AQUATIC LIFE
In Southern California pollutants and toxins including 130,000 tons of suspended solids ( oils , grease , and heavy metals ), 2,200 tons of nitrates , 120 tons of zinc , 35 lbs . of diazinon , and multiple bacteria make our ocean uninhabitable for most amphibians , shellfish and fish .
Residential Development
Costly stormwater diversion systems are put in by developers and municipalities , only to have runoff problems heightened downstream .
CONCENTRATED URBAN HARDSCAPES
As urban development progresses , natural fields are paved and water diverted causes greater risk of flooding and contamination .
Ocean pollution
Runoff is discharged to our lakes and oceans , causing beaches to be closed , lost revenues , and degradation to all marine life .
BUILDUP OF HARMFUL SEDIMENTS
When sediments settle out , they can cover or destroy important habitats such as spawning beds or submerged aquatic vegetation .
floodings
The most dramatic consequence of increases in the volume of stormwater runoff is flooding and property damage .
improper filtering procedures
Most current runoff procedures do very little in stopping harmful contaminants from entering our waterways and oceans .
A TAXPAYER BURDEN
Costly stormwater systems do not solve the problem ; they only send trash , pollutants and harmful bacteria to other areas along the watershed .