Which pollutants are commonly found in urban stormwater runoff?

• A. Oils, metals, and nutrients.
• B. Only plastics.
• C. Only dissolved salts.
• D. Heat and noise.

Answer: (A)

Urban stormwater runoff picks up pollutants from streets, rooftops, lawns, and construction sites as rain and meltwater flow over urban surfaces. The most common mix includes oils and other hydrocarbons from vehicle leaks, metals released from brakes, tires, and corrosion, and nutrients from fertilizers and organic matter. This combination is frequently found in city runoff and is a major reason why runoff can degrade water quality—oils create slicks that harm aquatic life, metals can be toxic and accumulate through the food chain, and excess nutrients can fuel algal blooms and deplete oxygen in streams and lakes. The other options miss these broad, routinely present pollutant groups: plastics may appear but aren’t the sole pollutant, dissolved salts and winter road salts are episodic rather than the core mix, and heat or noise aren’t the typical pollutants tracked in stormwater chemistry in the same way.