The internet makes it increasingly easy for anyone to witness a wide range of environmental issues, regardless of their location.

In a recent TikTok post, Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt), an American reality television star who probably wasn’t on your bingo card to appear in an article for raising awareness about pollution, shared a troubling video of toxic runoff.

“Look at this water,” Pratt says in the video as he pans the camera, showing dirty, mucky water at the edge of the ocean. “That’s before they even bring the toxic waste down from town.”

Toxic runoff, or runoff pollution, is created when rainwater or melted snow runs off the streets, carrying with it harmful waste or substances, trickling down until it reaches water sources, the Environmental Protection Agency explained.

“Runoff picks up fertilizer, oil, pesticides, dirt, bacteria and other pollutants as it makes its way through storm drains and ditches – untreated – to our streams, rivers, lakes and the ocean,” it said in its report.

While there is a limited amount of runoff in natural areas, due to soil, fields, and plants being able to absorb most of the water, urban areas are much different.

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According to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, “Close to 100 percent of the rain that falls on concrete and other hard surfaces produces runoff. One inch of rain falling on an acre of hardened surface produces 27,000 gallons of runoff.”

Earlier this year, people in Los Angeles were warned against drinking the water or going into local water sources, due to the extensive runoff from heavy rains following the LA wildfires.

Furthermore, new research has shown that storm runoff is a silent contributor to microplastic pollution. As urban areas have asphalt, concrete, and even rubber pavement, the runoff picks up the microplastics these materials possess as they break down, and carries the microplastic particles into the ocean with the water.

Commenters on the TikTok video showed their distress about the polluted runoff.

One person said, “This is unacceptable….how does our government allow this BS.”

“This is actually insane…wow,” someone else added. “Thanks for sharing all of this.”

To do your part in protecting the Earth, you can educate yourself on key climate issues, such as toxic runoff.

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