NPS Pollution
The geographic area in which all water running off the land drains into a given water body.
Watershed
The term that refers to, the economic and cultural activities (e.g., agricultural, residential, industrial, recreational) that are practiced at a given place.
Land Use
NPS pollution is difficult to monitor and control because...
The sources of pollution can be challenging to distinguish from each other.
Act that was formed with the goal to "restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters"
The Clean Water Act (CWA)
Name one BMP that can be installed around your home to reduce stormwater runoff.
Install a green roof
Install a rain garden
Install a rain barrel
Use porous/pervious surfaces like gravel to absorb rainfall.
The difference between point source pollution and nonpoint source (NPS) pollution.
Point source pollution comes from a single, identifiable location like a pipe or factory, making it easier to regulate via permits. Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution originates from diffuse, multiple locations—carried by rainfall or snowmelt runoff—making it harder to trace and control.
List 3 different sources of NPS pollution.
Agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, failing septic systems, construction sites, forestry, resource extraction (mining), hydromodification, atmospheric deposition, marinas and boating, etc.
A practice used to identify water quality problems, use impairments, causes, and pollutant sources; to assess permit compliance; and to validate or calibrate models.
Watershed Monitoring
Program established as a result of the 1987 Amendment to the Clean Water Act that provides grant money to states, territories, and tribes to support a wide variety of activities to assess the success of specific NPS implementation projects and promotes the use of watershed planning to protect and restore water resources.
Section 319 Nonpoint Source (NPS) Program
Name one BMP that can be installed on a farm to reduce NPS pollution.
Manure storage
Heavy Use Area
Grazing Plans
Proper pesticide use/disposal
Cover Crops, etc.
When precipitation falls onto roads, streets, rooftops, and sidewalks and moves over the ground, picking up and carrying natural and humanmade pollutants and depositing them into nearby waterbodies.
Stormwater Runoff (the cause of NPS pollution!).
How should household chemicals (oils, antifreeze, paints, etc.) and cleaners be disposed of?
NOT in storm sewers or drains - find a community program that collects household hazardous waste.
What program has a major objective to improve our understanding of nonpoint source pollution?
The National Nonpoint Source Monitoring Program
What does the Clean Water Act Section 303(d) require from states, territories, and authorized tribes?
To develop lists of impaired waters.
Name one BMP used in forestry to reduce NPS pollution.
Use proper logging and erosion control practices on your forest lands by ensuring proper construction, maintenance, and closure of logging roads and skid trails.
Follow stream crossing requirements to minimize disturbance.
Report questionable logging practices to state and federal forestry and state water quality agencies.
The process that occurs when excess phosphorus and nitrogen from fertilizer runoff or sewage causes excessive growth of algae (algal blooms) on a waterbody.
Eutrophication
Any hard, artificial, or compacted area that prevents or reduces the infiltration of water into the soil and therefore increase stormwater runoff, causing flash flooding, erosion, and water pollution. Examples: concrete, asphalt, rooftops, and paved driveways.
Impervious Surfaces
Studying stream flow patterns can tell us...
The rapid or slow response to rainfall events.
Program that takes a non-regulatory, collaborative approach to maintaining clean waters by supporting EPA and its partners in their reports to identify, assess, and protect watershed health through Clean Water Act programs.
The Healthy Watersheds Program (HWP)
Systems and practices that use or mimic natural processes that result in the infiltration, evapotranspiration, or use of stormwater in order to protect water quality and associated aquatic habitat.
Low Impact Development (LID)
The process of extracting, removing, or washing away soluble substances (such as nutrients, chemicals, or minerals) from a solid material—like soil, rock, or waste—using a liquid solvent, typically water.
Leaching
Three actions that can improve flood preparedness and resilience...
Plan ahead for severe weather events
Use prediction tools
Test infrastructure
The calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant allowed to enter a waterbody so that the waterbody will meet and continue to meet water quality standards for that particular pollutant.
Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL)
The two agencies that have a Memorandum of Agreement that provides a collaborative framework for jointly working on activities related to both hazard mitigation and environmental management to create more resilient communities.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
A buried drainage system, typically a perforated pipe surrounded by stone and geotextile fabric, designed to collect and remove excess subsurface water.
Underdrain