Pollution - Short Essay 2

Our rivers, lakes, and beaches are beautiful, but are they safe? Every day, the toxic runoff from parking lots, busy roads and quiet subdivisions makes its way into our streams and oceans. Even the oil burning off from cars on the roads gets washed into the groundwater and streams by way of the storm drain every time it rains.


The more houses we build, the more pollution we will add to our environment. Every time we lay down a new parking lot or piece of roadway, there is an impact on our environment.


Planning growth and designing communities are part of the local government's job. If you are curious about what changes are about to happen where you live, start reading the local paper and make a scrapbook of development stories. If something concerns you, you can contact your officials to let them know how you feel. At home, there are things you and your family can do to cut back on water pollution in your neighborhood:

    • Don't litter. Trash that is thrown in the streets usually winds up down storm drains.
    • Watch those sprinklers. Place water sprinklers so they water the grass or flowers and not the street or sidewalk. Also, don't water on windy days or in the hottest part of the day so more water will be absorbed by plants and less will be wasted.
    • About fertilizers: they are good for the garden, but too much of a good thing can hurt the environment by causing algae bloom. Check with a garden store to find out how much fertilizer your soil needs and consider using organic fertilizers.
    • Compost your grass clippings to make natural fertilizer or leave it on the lawn as a source of nutrients.

Learn more about how to conserve our water in the library and online.