Masks are washing into cave systems and rivers

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – You have likely seen masks on the ground in parking lots or on roads, but what happens to those masks when it rains?

According to Andrea Strange with Warren County Stormwater, our cave systems and streams are where those littered masks often end up.

“If it doesn’t get caught up in our storm sewer infrastructures, it could make it right into our streams or right into our caves which could cause problems for not just us but also the animals that live there, so all of our fish friends and any other animals that rely on a stream for part of their ecosystem can be impacted,” said Strange.

Ducks can choke on litter and the degradation process can even change the chemical makeup of the water the debris lands in.

In Bowling Green, stormwater is not treated. But some infrastructure does catch some of that debris, according to Courtenay Howell, environmental compliance inspector for the City of Bowling Green.

“Even this system, it’s going to act as a net, so it does catch a lot, but it does not catch everything that comes through this system,” said Howell.

Howell believes litter is always going to be an issue, but if we work together, we can ease its impact.

“It’s just one more thing on top of it all, and we can do our part by reducing our use of disposable items whenever we can with reusable masks and things of that sort,” said Howell.

Litter isn’t just masks, but also bottles, cans, plastic bags and other trash and littering is a crime.

Usually, the Warren County Regional Jails has inmates pick up trash from the side of the road, but due to COVID-19, that litter is sometimes ending up in stormwater as well.