Effects of airport runoff pollution on water quality in bay area sites near San Francisco and Oakland airports

Airports contribute to pollution through point source and non-point source pollution, which can have negative effects on water quality and aquatic life. The purpose of our study was to determine if runoff pollution from the San Francisco airport (SFO) and Oakland airport (OAK) impacts water quality in the San Francisco Bay Area. We tested water quality at 12 sites surrounding these two airports, specifically testing for pH and the presence of specific metals and nitrates. From our results, we found that the presence of zinc, copper, chromium and nitrate increased as we got closer to the airports. The pH remained constant throughout the sites. We concluded that airport pollution is a likely source of elevated concentrations of some heavy metals and nitrates in the San Francisco Bay Area.