Urban runoff killing coho salmon, but simple solution within reach

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-10/nfwc-urk100515.php

Public Release: 8-Oct-2015
Urban runoff killing coho salmon, but simple solution within reach
Filtration through column of soil and sand eliminates toxic effects of urban stormwater on fish
NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region

Toxic runoff from highways, parking lots and other developed surfaces is killing many of the adult coho salmon in urban streams along the West Coast, according to a new study that for the first time documents the fatal connection between urban stormwater and salmon survival.

The good news is that the same study published today in the Journal of Applied Ecology also found that inexpensive filtration of urban runoff through simple columns of sand and soil can completely prevent the toxic effects on fish.

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