United States '._.".
Environmental Prptection
Agency ~"'-.. .;/~
\pffice;of Water-""-'
(4503F)
EPA-841-F-96-004C
March 1996 , --
Nonpoint Pointers
Understanding and managing nonpoint source pollution in your community
Programs for Nonpoint
Source Control
-''. States, territories, .and tribes identify nonpoiht source (N]PS) pollutiori'as
/responsible for more than half-of the Nation's existing and threatened water
quality impairments. To~address these waterquality problems, federal, state,
tribal,Territorial, and .local governments provide technical assistance and "
fund programs to implement NFS controls. Ofher sources of funding are
also- available. The UTS: Environmental Protection Agency's'"Environmental,
Financing Information Network Center"in Washington, DC/202/26Q-1020)
"can provide communities with specific information on how to-design ands
fund the most appropriate NPS;pollution strategy. ..
Federal Programs ' :
U.S.'EnvirgnrnentalJProte'cUon^Agency (EPA) -; " ~
EPA administers section 319 of the Clean Water Act, also known as'the
Nonpoint Source Management Program. Under section 319, states, territo-
ries, and tribes apply for and receive grants from,EPA to implement NFS
pollutibn_eontrols. AS of 1995, EPA had awarded more fl^n.$370 million '
under section 319 |o address NFS pollution'-'problems."
:> ... EPA administers other sections
of the Clean Water Act to help
states, territories, and tribes to
plan-for and implement water _
.. pollution programs, which can-
Government agencies ipjovi&e_
. technical assistance and fund __
programs to implement NFS'
controls. ^~ ,
include measures, for NPS control.
.These include section 104(b)(3), . ~
' ' v : . .'^_^''-.~ ~£' Water Quality CooperativeAgree-
' '"'--;' _-.;;' - ; ","- '~~. -"ments; section l(34(g), Small
Community Outreach; section 106, Grants for Polluu'on Coiitrol Programs;
section 314, Clean Lakes Program/section 320, National Estuary Program;
and'section;6Q4(b), Water Quality Management Planning.-Together with the
National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, EPA helps administer -,-.
section 6217 of the 1990 Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments;' a
prograrh that tackles nonpoint source pollution affecting coastal waters. -
series
of fact sheets
on nonpoint !
source (NPS) pollution
know
that communities
rely oftoyemmenf
investing in water
consefvafion^to
help control APS
.' V
NPS pollution occurs when
water runs over land or through
the ground, picks up pollutants,-
and deposits them iri surface
waters or introduces them into
ground water. ^
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RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Additional fact sheets in the
Nonpoint Pointers series
(EPA-841-F-96-004)
Clean Water in Your Water-
shed, Terrene Institute,
Washington, DC, 1993
The Clean Water State
Revolving Fund: Financing
America's Environmental
InfrastructureA Report to
Congress (EPA-832-R-95-
001)
The Quality of Our Nation's
Water: 1994 (EPA-841 -S-95-
004)
State and Local Funding of
Nonpoint Source Control
Programs (EPA-841-R-92-
003)
A State and Local Govern-
ment Guide to Environmen-
tal Program Funding Alter-
natives (EPA-841-K-94-001)
To order any of the above EPA
documents call or fax the
National Center for Environmen-
tal Publications and Information.
Tel (513)489-8190
Fax (513) 489-8695
FOR MORE INFORMATION
EFIN Center (Telephone:
(202) 260-0420)
* U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency
Nonpoint Source Contra!
Branch
Washington DC 20460
Internet Address:
http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/
Index.html
^^
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
NOAA administers section 306 of the Coastal Zone Management Act that
provides funds for water pollution control projects, including NPS manage-
ment activities, in states with coastal zones. Together with the EPA, NOAA
also helps administer section 6217 of the Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization
Amendments. This requires the 29 states with approved Coastal Zone
Management Programs to establish and implement Coastal Npnpoint
Pollution Control Programs.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
The USDA administers incentive-based conservation programs through
the Consolidated Farm Services Agency, the Natural Resources Conserva-
tion Service, and the U.S. Forest Service to help control NPS pollution from
agriculture, forestry, and urban sources. ":.- . ,
U.S. Departmentof Transportation/Federal Highway Administration^
Under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, the
Federal Highway Administration developed erosion control guidelines for
federally funded construction projects on roads, highways, and bridges.
' ' *" - -
U.S. Departmentof the Interior
Within the U.S. Departmentx>f the Interior, the Bureau of Reclamation,
the Bureau of Land Management, and the Fish_and Wildlife Service admin-
ister several programs to help states manage NFS pollution by providing
technical assistance and financial support. For example, the .Fish, and Wild-
life Service administers the Clean Vessel Act, which provides grants to
construct sewage pumpout stations.at marinas. J."
Alternative Funding Sources
Some communities rely on a combination of alternative funding sources
tojbmplement NPS controls. In 1994, EPA published A State and Local Govern-
ment Guide to Environmental Program Funding Alternatives. This brochure ,:
gives examples of how states can useAe Clean Water State Revolving. Fund,
leases, grants, taxes, fees, and bonds to craft innovative and effective strate-
gies to generate funds for NPS controls. In addition,, government agencies
can establish programs to encourage investments in water conservation
technologies. ir- .- _
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