Ever think about how a dripping tap adds up? A bunch of small leaks in a water system can absolutely cause a bigger pressure drop over time. Look at policy changes too, where a bunch of tiny rule tweaks together create a huge new burden. Calling anything a drop in the bucket misses how pressure works, because enough drops always fill the bucket. That little change might just be the one that finally makes the whole system tip.
My 50 gallon barrel filled up twice last week. It cut the runoff from my driveway down to almost nothing, which really shows how those small collections add up.