06/20/2026
Agricultural runoff is one of the leading causes of freshwater pollution in the United States. When it rains, fertilizers and pesticides wash off farmland into streams, rivers, and lakes â creating "dead zones" where aquatic life can't survive due to oxygen depletion. The good news? Farmers, scientists, and communities are working together on smarter irrigation, buffer zones, and cover crops to protect waterways. The land and the water are connected. How we treat one affects the other. đ§