United States '" _
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water
C4503F) ^ '_
EPA-84t-F-96-004D
March 1996 ~
4yEPA Nonpoint Pointers
Understanding and managing nonpoint source pollution in your community
National /
Nonpoint Source
Management Program
; The Clean Water Act of 1972 helped -clean up of many of our country's
"watersroften achieving dramatic improvements. Despite those successes, —'
approximately 36 percent of theJSTation's surveyed river miles/37 percent of
its surveyed lake acreage, and 37 percent of its surveyed estuarine square
miles are not safe for basic uses such as swimming or fishing. ".-.'. -.-
States, territories, and tribes estimate that at least half of these impair-
-_ merits, as well as significant ground water eohtaminatiori^ are caused by
"nonpoint source (NPS) pollution, making it the Nation's leading-, __
source of water quality problems. To address these problems,
'•'"-'' '- Congress amended the Clean
"„» rri. , ; "- ',. ~> 'Water Act in 1987^ Congress
Since EPAbegan awarding -,; , established the NFS Pollution "
section 319 grants to implement • Management Program under
series
management programs, recipi-
ents-have^ directed approximately
one-third of the funds toward
controlling agricultural NPS
pollution. „ _ _• ;
section 319 of the amendments^'
The program provides states, ,~
territories, and tribes with grants
to implement NFS pollution
controls described in approved
NFS pollution management
_. „ ._ -. -programs. ~— . •_
In 1990, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began award--
ing grants td_statesrterrifories; and tribes with approved programs. By 1991,
. all 50 states and Jthe territories had received EPA approval; by 1995, 7 tribes
also had received approval. Since 1990, recipients of 319 grants have di-
rected approximately 40 percent of awarded funds toward controlling NPS
^pollution from agriculturaLlands. In addition, nearly one-quarter of the ,
_money was used for general, assistance purposes, including funding for
outreach and technical assistance. Efforts to control runoff frorn urban "
sources,, septic systems, and'construction also received significant funding
under section 319, as did projects-to manage wetlands and NFS pollution .
from forestry, habitat degradation, and changes to stream channels.
In. 1991, EPA established the National Monitoring Program to evaluate"
the effectiveness of NPS pollution control projects.. Fourteenlstate-proposed
projects will be evaluated over a six to 10-year period. The findings Jroml
this effort willhelp states, territories, and tribes develop more successful
NPS pollution controls in other watersheds.
"*^ - T ^ .->_'--- >O ~ - ' ' -' '"" ' - --~ -, "*- - /", - .
of fact sheets
[ \,
on nonpoint ;
source (NPS) pollution
is-
Did you know
of fraferquality
problems ihjne
I/.S; result frdrn*
AfPS pollution^
NF'S pollution occur^when
water runs over land or through
the ground, picks up pollutants,
and deposits them in surface
v/aters 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)
• Managing Nonpoint Source
Pollution: Final Report to
Congress on Section 319 of
the Clean Water Act (EPA-
506/9-90)
• Nonpoint Source Water
Quality Contacts Directory,
Conservation Technology
Information Center, West
Lafayette, Indiana
• The Quality of Our Nation's
- - Water: 1994 (EPA-841 -S-95-
664) ""°"m"" " ' ~ ~ " ' ~"
• Sectton. 31_9^atfonah, __„_
--- Monftdflng Program Projecls"
(EPA-841 -S-94-006)
• Section 319 National
Monitoring Program: An
Overview, Water Quality
Group, North Carolina State
University, March 1995
• Section 319 Success Stories
(EPA-841 -S-94-004)
To order any EPA documents
call or fax the National Center
for Environmental Publications
and Information.
Tel (513)489-8190
Fax (513)489-8695
FOR MORE INFORMATION
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency
Nonpoint Source Control Branch
Washington DC 20460
Internet Address:
http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/
index.html
HMHHBi
I!IH
As of 1995, EPA had awarded states, territories, and tribes $370 million
under section 319 to implement NFS pollution control. Section 319 Success
Stories provides examples of how states, territories, and tribes chose to use
section 319 funds.
How Section 319 Works
Assessment Reports
All states, territories, and some tribes have met two basic requirements to
be eligible for a section 319 grant, the first of which is to develop and gain
EPA approval of a NFS pollution assessment report. In the assessment
report, the state, territory, or tribe identifies waters impacted or threatened
by NFS pollution. They also describes the categories of NFS pollution, such
as agriculture, urban runoff, or forestry, that are causing water quality
problems. ,
Management Programs „
To meet the second requirement a state, territory, or tribe must develop
and obtain EPA approval ,of a NFS pollution management program. This
program becomes the framework for controlling NFS pollution, given the
existing and potential water quality problems described in the NFS pollu-
tion assessment report. A well-developed management program supports
activities with the greatest potential to produce early, demonstrable water
quality results; assists-in the building of long-term institutional capacity to
address NFS pollution problems; and encourages strong interagency coordi-
nation and ample opportunity for public involvement in the decision-
making process. -._ -
How to Get Involved „
The addresses and telephone numbers of state and territory nonpoint
source officials are listed in the Nonpoint Source Water Quality Contacts
Directory. These individuals can inform citizens about section 319 program
activities in their home state or territory. They can also let citizens know
how to become involved in the periodic update^of section 319 NFS assess-
ments and NFS management programs.
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