 Did you know that the largest contributor to water pollution today is storm water runoff? When rain lands on our rooftops, roads, fields, and forests, the water picks up pollutants including trash, cigarette butts, yard debris, sediment, pesticides, and animal waste. The rain and pollutants then run off into storm drains and waterways. It can take just 15 to 30 minutes for the water from your driveway to end up in the storm water that flows into our rivers and streams. But it doesn't have to be this way. How we manage our soil in urban and rural environments can make a big difference in how much water runoff we have. When water is allowed to infiltrate the ground instead of running off hard surfaces into storm drains, the soil and vegetation can filter out some of the pollutants before they reach rivers and lakes. The goal is to reduce the runoff and have more water infiltrate the soil. This rainfall simulator can give us a visual depiction of what is happening to our soils as a result of the management techniques we use. Some of the techniques we use are great while others are not so good. These examples show a forestry site, an urban area with an impervious surface, an active construction site, and cropland and pasture. The rainfall simulator demonstrates how land use affects rainfall runoff. The jugs with more water have more runoff and are poor management systems. The jugs that are dirtier represent soil erosion that is taken place because of the runoff and lack of cover. With erosion, we lose nutrients and productivity of soil that can carry pesticides and nutrients off site. When there is no soil and only a hard surface like concrete, the effect is even worse. It's important to capture as much water as we can. Through this demonstration, we can see the benefits of good soil health in our urban and rural landscapes. Good management promotes actively growing roots and keeps high organic materials in our soils, reducing erosion, runoff, and pollution. Healthy water sheds and clean water provide a better quality of life for everyone. So what can you do? Keep grass clippings and yard debris out of storm drains, don't litter, don't dump toxic chemicals into storm drains, and research your soil management techniques.