A rainfall event that causes pesticide-laden water to flow over land into a stream is called

A rainfall event that causes pesticide-laden water to flow over land into a stream is called

• A. Leaching
• B. Runoff
• C. Transformation
• D. Transportation

Answer: (B)

Runoff is the overland flow of water that occurs when rainfall or irrigation cannot infiltrate the soil quickly enough, causing water to move across the land surface toward streams and other bodies of water. When pesticides are present on the soil surface, this flow can carry them with the water into a stream. This differs from leaching, which moves water down through the soil toward groundwater; transformation, which is the breakdown or chemical change of the pesticide; and a general term like transportation, which doesn’t specify the specific pathway. So the rainfall-induced movement of pesticide-laden water over land into a stream is runoff.

Runoff is the overland flow of water that occurs when rainfall or irrigation cannot infiltrate the soil quickly enough, causing water to move across the land surface toward streams and other bodies of water. When pesticides are present on the soil surface, this flow can carry them with the water into a stream. This differs from leaching, which moves water down through the soil toward groundwater; transformation, which is the breakdown or chemical change of the pesticide; and a general term like transportation, which doesn’t specify the specific pathway. So the rainfall-induced movement of pesticide-laden water over land into a stream is runoff.