Nonpoint Source Control Program

Background

     Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution generally results from land runoff, atmospheric
deposition, drainage, or seepage of contaminants.  Major sources of nonpoint pollution include
agricultural runoff, runoff from urban areas, and runoff from silvicultural areas.  Siltation and
nutrients are the pollutants responsible for most of the nonpoint source impacts to the Nation's
surface waters.  These diffuse sources are often harder to identify, isolate, and control than point
sources.  As a result, from 1972 to 1987, EPA and the States placed primary focus on addressing
the obvious problems due to municipal and industrial point source discharges.

     Sections 208 and 303(e) of the Clean Water Act of 1972 established the initial framework
for addressing nonpoint sources of pollution.  States and local planning agencies analyzed the
extent of NPS pollution and developed water quality management programs to control it with
funds provided by EPA under Section 208.  Best management practices were evaluated,
assessment models and methods were developed, and other types of technical assistance were
made available to State and local water quality managers.

The National Section 319 Program

     In 1987, Congress enacted Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, which established a
national program to control nonpoint sources of water pollution.  Section 319 created a three-stage national program to be implemented by the States with Federal approval and assistance. 
States were to address nonpoint source pollution by (1) developing nonpoint source assessment
reports, (2) adopting nonpoint source management programs, and (3) implementing the EPA-
approved management programs over a multiyear time frame.

     Section 319 also authorizes EPA to issue annual grants to States to assist them in
implementing their EPA-approved programs.  EPA guidance encourages States to focus Section
319 funds on high-priority activities including:

         addressing nationally significant, high-risk nonpoint source problems and focusing
          implementation activities in priority watershed or ground water areas;

         comprehensively integrating existing programs to control nonpoint source
          pollution;

         providing for monitoring and evaluation of program effectiveness including water
          quality monitoring protocols;

         emphasizing pollution prevention mechanisms;

         protecting particularly sensitive and ecologically significant waters; and

         promoting comprehensive watershed management.

     

     To date EPA has awarded $370 million to the States, Territories, and Tribes in section
319 grants. With the exception of some tribal grants, for which the amount of match is reduced,
319 grants require a 40% state or local match. This means that, to date, the 319 program has
accounted for a national expenditure of $646 million in NPS management and control.
     EPA is currently engaged in formal discussions with the States on ways to strengthen
State nonpoint source management programs, make the national program more flexible and
responsive to State needs, streamline the grant process, and reduce the amount of resources
required for program administration and oversight. A sampling of projects and programs
undertaken by the States and Tribes under section 319, together with funding summaries for EPA
Regions and individual States, is described in the document "Section 319 Success Stories,"
available upon request from EPA's Nonpoint Source Control Branch in the Office of Water.

Nonpoint Source Initiatives

     As stated above, one of the areas determined to be contributing significantly to nonpoint
source pollution is that of agriculture. In 1990 the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act
was enacted by Congress, offering new opportunities for linking initiatives between the USDA
and EPA concerning water quality provisions. The bill established a Wetland Reserve Program
(WRP) and a Water Quality Incentives Program (WQIP). The Conservation Reserve Program
was also broadened, to include land that is a potential threat to surface water quality. Producers
utilizing management practices aimed at reducing the impact of nonpoint runoff were given higher
priority in the bid process governing inclusion in the program. The WQIP can be used to provide
USDA assistance to individual farms to develop and implement water quality plans. 
     The Coastal Zone Act Reathorization Amendments (CZARA) of 1990 was another
attempt at coordinating efforts between regulatory agencies. Section 6217 of that act established a
coastal nonpoint source pollution program that integrates with State section 319 programs of the
CWA. EPA and NOAA, who administer the Coastal Zone Management Act, have worked
together toward implementation of section 6217.
     Regulatory solutions to nonpoint sources are just one of the methods that can be
employed. Good science, as evidenced by a 1990 study conducted by the EPA's Office of Policy,
Planning and Evaluation, is another example. In this study, the contribution of vegetative strips to
improving stream biological communities was assessed. The vegetated strips, which filter the
nonpoint runoff from agricultural areas, were found to reduce the amount of sediment and
nutrients deposited into the streams. The ecological benefits were evidenced by a higher number
of benthic macro invertebrates in streams having the adjacent vegetated strips, than those where
the strips were absent. Such indicators tell of a better biological integrity within the stream.
     Using economic and market-based incentives may be another way to tackle nonpoint
pollution problems. Market-based pollutant tradings within a watershed, and cost-sharing and
subsidizing activities to mitigate impacts focus resources where problems exist. Performance
bonds can ensure activities that disturb land or environmentally sensitive areas comply with
prevention measures, or provide for restoration should non-compliance occur.
     Information concerning successful attempts at controlling nonpoint sources can be found
on the EPA's Nonpoint Source Information Exchange Bulletin Board System (BBS). The bulletin
board provides state and local agencies, private organizations, businesses, and concerned citizens
with relevant nonpoint source information, the opportunity to exchange programs and files, and
an open forum. The BBS can be accessed using a PC, a modem, and the relevant
telecommunications software. This kind of initiative develops awareness of nonpoint pollution,
and is a part of larger attempts at education, and increasing public consciousness of pollution
problems.