September 28, 2016
In natural landscapes, leaves blanket the forest floor and eventually become rich soil. But in urban areas much of the land is covered by impervious surfaces like streets, parking lots and roofs. And instead of water and nutrients making their way in to the soil, storm drains provide an expedient and direct route for pollutants—in this case leaves—on streets to flow into our waters. Once in the water, decaying leaves leach phosphorus, which feeds algae.