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Water pollution, specifically non-
point source (NFS) pollution is the
nation's number one threat to water
quality. Nonpoint source pollution
occurs when runoff from precipitation
deposits pollutants into waterways,
often sickening or killing fish and
plants and threatening drinking water
supplies. An example of nonpoint
source pollution is runoff from farms
and lawns carrying fertilizers and pes-
ticides into streams. Another example
is runoff from roads and parking lots
carrying motor oil and other contami-
nants into lakes and rivers. Ground-
water can also be contaminated by
NPS pollutants carried by water per-
colating through the soil. As you
see, the name is derived from the
concept that there is no single point
from which the pollution comes. It
comes from everyone and every-
where.
Nonpoint source pollution is a
problem. Since its sources are hard to
pinpoint, so are its solutions, So far, the
best way to combat the problem has
been through education, This publi-
cation will help you understand how
Section 319 of the Clean Water Act
addresses nonpoint sources and how
we can work together to stop this
form of pollution.
rue dL6AM uArec.
319
.5 ir
Congress enacted
Section 319 of the Clean
Water Act in 1987,
establishing a national
program to control non-
point sources of water
pollution. Section 319
helps states address
nonpoint pollution by
developing nonpoint
source assessment
reports; adopting man-
agement programs to
control nonpoint source
pollution; and imple-
menting those manage-
ment programs. Section
319 (h) provides for
EPA's award of grants to
states to assist them in
implementing those
management programs.
Under the Clean
Water Act, nonpoint
source control is largely
voluntary and promotes
practices to protect
watersheds. However,
Section 319 results in
much more than an EPA
grant award. Because
each state's grant
requires a 40 percent
non-federal match,
Section 319 leverages
additional money for
nonpoint source control.
EPA has four broad
objectives for 319
grants. --~
319 Grant Objectives
• To supportjstate
activities with the great-
est potential to produce
early, demonstratable
water quality results.
• To encourage and
reward effective perfor-
mance.
• To assist in building
the long-term capacity
of states and local gov-
ernments to address
nonpoint source pollu-
tion problems.
• To encourage strong
interagency coordina-
tion and public involve-
ment.
319
(202) 260-70^5
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Since Region 7 is predominantly
an agricultural area, most of its
Section 319 projects are aimed at
preventing and reducing agricultur-
al pollutants, although there are also
projects that address urban con-
cerns. State projects submitted to
EPA Region 7 for Section 319 funding
are ranked by a committee. The
selection process is highly competi-
tive. Region 7 is particularly support-
ive of projects that generate coop-
eration among federal, state, and
local organizations. Some projects
that have been selected are
designed to reduce nitrate contami-
nation in drinking water supplies.
There are also a
growing num-
ber of riparian
(streamside)
management
projects involving
restoration of habitat
and riparian vegetation.
..-^ , -«' •».— -. -Y-,w.^-M.>a1r--w «-.- - -
Nonpoint Source Program Manage
U.S. EPA Region 7
726 Minnesota Avenue,
Kansas City, Kansas 66101
(913) 551-7475
CAWSAS
A designated lead agency within
each state receives Section 319
grants. This agency then awards
funds to cooperating organizations
such as local conservation districts or
not-for-profit groups.
Each state has a nonpoint source
coordinator who oversees the 319
grant proposals and program imple-
mentation. Projects range from infor-
mation and educational programs to
highly technical applications of non-
point source control technology.
Each activity supports one or more of
the five basic themes of the National
Nonpoint Source Program.
4.
5.
Increase public awareness about
the effects of nonpoint source
pollution.
Provide states with successful
examples of solutions to these
problems.
Encourage economic incentives
for environmentally friendly prac-
tices.
Help states improve their reg-
ulatory capacity to control
nonpoint source pollution.
Assist states in developing a good
scientific foundation for water
quality programs and monitoring
protocols designed to evaluate
nonpoint source controls.
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Trout streams
)in Iowa? You
fbet there are,
L and they are the
focus of some of
^^ "the state's most
successful Section
319-funded watershed projects. Iowa has
identified 25 cold-water trout streams as
high priority for environmental protection.
The most frequently encountered pollutant
in Iowa is sediment, coming from erosion of
cropped fields as well as collapsing stream-
banks and other areas where the natural
vegetation has been lost. A number of
structural practices, as well as vegetative
management and innovative soil bioengi-
neering approaches, are used to solve
these problems. Animal manure can also
be a concern for the trout streams, and
measures are used ranging from excluding
cattle from the stream corridor and grazing
on a rotating pasture basis to sophisticated
animal manure handling systems.
6 CTAF6
Other key areas where projects are
under way are publicly owned lakes, partic-
ularly where they provide community drink-
ing water. Watershed projects around lakes
typically look at controlling sediment, nutri-
ents and pesticides from agricultural and
community land. A very strong part of
Iowa's nonpolnt source program is the
cooperation and participation of a variety
of federal, state and local agencies and
other groups in every project, where fund-
ing and "in-kind" contributions come from
many sources.
The Department of Natural Resources
administers and oversees the state nonpoint
source management program, in a strong
partnership with the Department of
Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Iowa's
water protection fund, administered by
IDALS, is a key state source of support for
nonpoint source watershed projects.
Section 319 provides funding for staff at
both these state agencies.
roe
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AS -913,206-4195
rue
The
4,500
acre
Hillsdale
Reservoir
"located 18
miles south of Kansas City is an example of
Kansans working together to ensure water
quality for all Kansas lakes. A lake is a reflec-
tion of its watershed, and the Hillsdale Citizens
Watershed Committee is a role model for
working relationships of grassroot groups coor-
dinating with local, state and federal partners
to protect the lake from being tainted by
urban and agricultural nonpoint source pollu-
tion. The state's commitment to improve and
protect water quality in the reservoir Is reflect-
ed statewide by the Kansas Nonpoint Source
Control Program involving local, state, federal
and private sector organizations.
The Kansas State Water Plan Fund is the
principal source of state funding and is the
source of money for local environmental pro-
tection programs and the Kansas Nonpoint
Pollution Control Fund. Section 319 of the
Federal Clean Water Act is the principal
source of federal dollars.
Using state and federal dollars, the Kansas
Department of Health and Environment
(KDH&E) provides financial assistance to local
governments to develop, maintain and
implement local environmental protection
plans. These plans provide an infrastructure
that enables local governments to address
on-site waste water, public and private water
supply protection, solid and hazardous waste
issues, subdivision drinking water and waste-
water facilities, and nonpoint source pollution.
Funding is used to employ local staff, who are
responsible for providing technical assistance,
information, eduction, and water quality
monitoring.
The Kansas Nonpoint Source Pollution
Control Fund is administered by the Kansas
State Conservation Commission and provides
finances for implementing nonpoint source
pollution control measures such as riparian
area treatment, integrated crop manage-
ment, soil erosion control practices (i.e., con-
touring, terraces, structures),
reduced tillage, manure manage-^
ment, vegetative filter strips, and
grazing management.
Section 319 Grants are also
used by KDH&E to maintain a staff
dedicated to provide technical
assistance, information and edu-
cational materials, program coor-
dination and funding of water-
shed projects around the state like
the Hillsdale Water Quality project.
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"Show me clean
water" Is the atti-
tude of nearly 700
volunteers who
have taken to
the streams in
Missouri as part
of a 319 project.
The volunteer water quality monitoring pro-
gram is a project sponsored by the Missouri
Department of Natural Resources (MDNR),
the Missouri Department of Conservation
and the Conservation Federation of
Missouri. Physical, biological and chemical
monitoring data collected by citizens sup-
plements data collected and coordinated
by various universities, governmental agen-
cies and public water companies. For infor-
mation on Volunteer Monitoring or Missouri
STREAM TEAMS call 1-800-781-1989.
Farmers are partners in projects that pro-
vide funding for Best Management
Practices (BMPs) such as: irrigation man-
agement; constructed dairy wetlands; on-
site manure management; streambank sta-
bilization; and nutrient and pest manage-
ment. . ^ , . _
me
The Nebraska
NPS Management
, Program is deal-
'ing with a variety
of environmental concerns, including
nitrate contamination of groundwater,
runoff carrying nutrients, pesticides and
sediment into lakes and streams, and
the effects of rapidly urbanizing areas.
A number or projects, using Section
319 funding as well as contributions from
other federal, state and local sources,
are under way in the state. One of
these, at Wehrspann Lake in a develop-
ing area near Omaha, has adopted
Hanna the Hawk as its mascot. Hanna
describes what she sees when flying
over the watershed, and helps people
understand their contributions to non-
point source pollution, be it from agricul-
tural runoff, urban construction or their
daily outdoor activities.
Projects such as the Volunteer Water
Quality Monitoring Program, the Niangua
Basin Planned Grazing project, the Mark
Twain Watershed Initiative and Outreach
projects. Prescription Farming in the
Bootheel, Urban Field Manual for
Developers and the Missouri River Alluvium
Groundwater project have nurtured local
community involvement. Increasing aware-
ness of nonpoint source pollution and the
needed Best Management Practices are
major goals of these projects.
Like the statewide Volunteer Water
Quality Monitoring
Program, Missouri's
nonpoint source
(NPS) grants pro-
gram fits well into
the "grass roots"
approach of work-
ing on a local level
to educate citizens
and demonstrate
environmentally
sound urban and
agricultural prac-
tices.
63% of Missourians
drink from surface
water supplies
37% drink from well
water supplies
(groundwater)
70% of Missouri's land
is in agriculture pro-
duction
Other projects in the corn-growing
areas of central Nebraska are tackling
the concerns about nitrates percolating
into groundwater that supplies much of
the drinking water in the state. Irrigation
management techniques, as well as
nitrogen management plans, are being
employed there. A very popular feature
of Nebraska's program is the NPS
Information and Education Mini-grant
program. Grants up to $5,000 help
groups develop local materials to edu-
cate citizens about nonpoint source pol-
lution. Mini-grants have been made for
water festivals, to build and demon-
strate a model of a stream, and for
water quality oriented trail signs at the
Wehrspann Lake project.
Foe vio
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A - 402-471-3196
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A reue
Section 319 programs provide states
with cost-effective solutions to prevent
and to control NPS pollution, and to
improve water quality. Section 319 funds,
together with other water quality protec-
tion measures funded by federal, state
and local programs and private initia-
tives, can help states achieve real
improvements in water quality, and can
provide significant human health, environ-
mental and economic benefits.
t
Published by U.S. EPA Region 7 In conjunction with USOA Natural Resources Conservation Service. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination
In Its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political belters, marital or familial status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program Inlormatlon (braHe, large print, audlotape. etc.) should contact the USDA Office of
Communications at (202) 720-5881 (voice) or (202) 720-7808 (TDD). To fHe a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., 20250,
or ca« (202) 720-7237 (voice) (202) 720-1127 (TDD). USDA Is an equal employment opportunity employer.
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