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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
                                                        -51 5-281 -6402
                                                        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
                                              -31 4-751 -71 44
                                             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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