Name ___________________________
Exploring solutions to non-point source pollution
Do you know what happens to a rain drop once it hits the ground? Test
your knowledge of stormwater pollution and ways to protect our waters
with this fun quiz.
Have you heard the term “watershed” and do you know its meaning?
a. Yes, a watershed is __________________________________________________
b. I don’t know
1. What percentage of the total water supply on the planet is available for use by humans?
a. 0.1 percent
b. 8 percent
c. 5 percent
d. 48 percent
2. “Non-point source pollution” is any pollution that does not
come from a single “point” (for example, a discharge pipe).
Instead, “non-point source pollution” is most often caused
by rainfall moving over the ground and picking up
pollutants along the way. Which of the following are
examples of non-point source pollution?
a. Water and pollutants running off people’s yards.
b. Soil and sediments from a farm entering a nearby creek.
c. Run off from your school parking lot after a storm.
d. All of the above
3. Fecal coliforms are harmful bacteria found in animal and human feces. When these
bacteria enter waterways, they pollute the water and can make people sick. How many
fecal coliform bacteria are found in single dog poop?
a. 50
b. 1,200
c. 55,000
d. 3 billion
4. How much more stormwater runoff (i.e. water that runs off an area
after a rain event) is produced by a parking lot compared to a grassy
field of the same size?
a. Twice as much
b. Five times as much
c. Ten times as much
d. Sixteen times as much
5. “Point source pollution” is pollution that comes from a specific place, such as a pipe or
outlet, and drains into a body of water. Which of the following is an example of “point
source pollution”?
a. Pollution running off people’s yard.
b. A drain pipe from the local wastewater treatment plant.
c. Pollution running off a parking lot after a rain event and entering the stormwater
system.
d. Acid rain
6. Runoff is defined as the amount of water leaving an area after a rainfall. Sandy soil
results in less runoff compared to clay soil. Why?
a. Clay soil allows the ground to soak up water faster.
b. Sandy soil allows the ground to soak up water faster.
c. Clay soil is tighter and does not allow as much water to soak into the ground.
d. Both b and c.
e. I don’t know the difference between sandy and clay soils.
7. Which of the following offers a way to control non-point source pollution?
a. Limiting the amount of fertilizers and pesticides people put on their yards.
b. Picking up after your pet’s waste
c. Properly disposing of trash and recyclables.
d. All of the above
8. Stormwater pollution can cause:
a. Cloudy water
b. Algae blooms
c. Fish kills
d. Oily sheen
e. Foul odors
f. All of the above
9. Which of the following is part of the storm water collection
system?
a. Streams, lakes and ponds
b. Ditches and culverts
c. Yards, gardens, streets, curbs and gutters
d. Storm drains, catch basins and manholes
e. Rain barrels, rain gardens and grassy swales
f. All of the above
10. Grass clippings that end up in the roadway after mowing the lawn should be:
a. Swept into the storm drain
b. Left in the road
c. Collected and put back on the grass or in the compost pile
d. All of the above
11. There is the same amount of water on the earth today than there was a million years ago.
a. True
b. False
12. Name three freshwater bodies, such as lakes or creeks, near Gainesville and Alachua
County.
a. ___________________________
b. ___________________________
c. ___________________________
Have you visited a local lake, river, or creek in the past year? Yes__ No __
Do you know the name? ____________________________
13. How many gallons of water can one gallon of motor oil pollute? To help
put this in perspective, an average swimming pool holds about 20,000
gallons of water.
a. 1,000
b. 10,000
c. 100,000
14. How can you reduce the amount of trash that you throw out each day?
a. _________________________________________________________
b. _________________________________________________________
c. _________________________________________________________
d. _________________________________________________________
15. It is o.k. to pour oil, paint, pesticides, fertilizers, cooking oil, and
other waste into the storm drains and the stormwater system
because it will go to a treatment plant and be cleaned up before
getting into our creeks.
a. True
b. False
16. From where do we get our drinking water?
a. Orange Lake
b. Santa Fe river
c. Groundwater
d. Stormwater
e. I don’t know
17. Scientists can tell the health of a water body by the types of critters that live in it.
a. True
b. False
18. When pet waste gets into stormwater, it can cause which of the following illnesses?
a. Diarrhea
b. Stomach cramps
c. Nausea
d. Vision loss
e. Rash
f. All of the above
19. When it rains, 40-70% of the rain water that falls on
your property:
a. Soaks into the ground
b. Evaporates
c. Runs off your property
20. What can you do to protect your lakes, rivers and creeks?
a. ________________________________
b. ________________________________
c. ________________________________