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Did you know that not only substances such as oil, grease and metals from cars can be considered a pollutant found on parking lots? Clay, minerals and organic matter can also be pollutants. Basically anything that can lead to trubidity of water (clouding) can be considered a pollutant. The elements that cause cloudiness have detrimental effects on the ecosystem. This includes affecting fish spawning beds in many different ways. Turbidity reduces light penetration causing fish to leave the spawning grounds, water temperature is increased, habitats on stream bottoms are smothered, as well as larvae. The turbidity can also affect the fish themselves by damaging their gill structure and reducing oxygen in the water.