# 44 Road Runoff

In 1999 there was an outbreak of mosquitos on Long Island. There was a fear that the mosquitos might be carring a disease that would infect the population so they were sprayed with Malathion a very toxic pesticide. It was a success and the mosquito population was wiped out. Shortly after they were sprayed the heavy rains from a hurricane brushed the coast, cleaning the land of all forms of pollution and washing it into the closest receiving body of water, Long Island Sound. It wasn't long after the heavy rains that millions of baby lobsters growing in Long Island Sound were found dead. As it turns out lobsters are structurally very similar to the mosquito's, and to this day the lobster men up and down the east coast blame the lobster die off on the pesticide Malathion. Many scientists say that the lobster die off was due to Climate Change, which was creating warmer water, and lower oxygen levels that tend to weaken and stress out the lobsters. The lobster men remain united in blaming the pesticide. Just recently scientists are revisiting the Malathion toxicity to see if perhaps the lobster men might be right and it did in fact add to the demise of a whole population of lobsters. The jury is still out and the pesticide is still widely used along the shoreline.. This piece is about road run off, or non-point source pollution. The spray is the pesticide which is being carried off by the rain and running into the ocean water where there are baby lobsters. The mosquitoes are shown in the middle of the spray.