When you paddle down the Kaw you see a lot of pipes draining into the river. Ever wonder what's at the
other end of those pipes? Or what's coming out of them?
What's coming out of those pipes is the waste water from our every day lives: water from sewage treatment plants, power plants, and factories.
Water that enters the
river from an identifiable location is called point source pollution, or “end-of-pipe” pollution.
When water is discharged into the river, the amounts and types of
pollutants that are allowed to come out of the pipe are regulated by
the Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Water Act.
If you
are worried about what's coming out of a pipe into the river, contact the Kansas
Riverkeeper to report pollution and she will investigate if any laws are being broken. One of the jobs of the Riverkeeper is to enforce the Clean Water Act and help you make sure the river isn't being polluted.
Pollution from Stormwater Runoff
Water that flows over your lawn and down your driveway during a rainstorm makes its way to the river. It
may flow directly into the river (not out of a pipe). Rain water picks up pollution by
flowing over lawns that have been sprayed with fertilizer or
pesticides. This is called non-point source pollution. Another common term is “stormwater runoff”.
Stormwater runoff is the biggest cause of
water pollution in the U.S. and it is one of the hardest to control.
Imagine how much motor oil is washed in the river during a storm—you
have hundreds of neighbors with cars that leak small amounts of oil
onto driveways and streets in your neighborhood, each
contributing a small amount of pollution. When it rains that oil is washed away by the water
flowing down the street —and from there to the river.
How do you
control thousands of little sources of pollution? That’s why we all
have to work together to control stormwater runoff. It is something we
all contribute to and something we can all help to control.
Don't Trash the Kaw
We all hate seeing trash in the river...but did you know that
anything you throw onto the street can wind up in the Kaw? Its true, all sorts of things wash down storm drains and
straight into the river, like plastic bags and plastic bottles. Please don't liter, and tell your friends its a nasty habit to
have. Everybody, especially the fish, frogs, birds, and other critters will thank you for
it. And if you would like to join us for a river clean-up, please contact the Riverkeeper to find out when Friends of the Kaw will be cleaning up the Kaw.
