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Pennsylvania NPS Education Office
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Nonpoint Source Pollution Education Office
 
Welcome to the Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution Education Office, administered
by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. Funding
for the NPS Education Office is provided by the EPA Section 319 Program
through a grant with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
To learn more about Tackling Nonpoint Source Pollution in Pennsylvania,
click here.
What is Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution?
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
(Adapted from EPA's Polluted brochure EPA-841-F-94-005, 1994)
Q: What is Nonpoint Source Pollution?
A: Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution, unlike pollution from industrial
and sewage treatment plants, comes from many diffuse sources. NPS pollution
is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground.
As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made
pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal
waters, and even our underground sources of drinking water. These pollutants
include:
- Excess fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides from agricultural
lands and residential areas;
- Oil, grease, and toxic chemicals from urban runoff and energy production;
- Sediment from improperly managed construction sites, crop and forest
lands, and eroding streambanks;
- Salt from irrigation practices and acid drainage from abandoned
mines;
- Bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes, and faulty septic
systems; and
- Atmospheric deposition and hydromodification
Q: What are the effects of NPS pollutants on our waters?
A: Throughout the United States reports indicate that NPS pollution
is currently the leading cause of water quality problems. The effects
of NPS pollutants on specific waters vary and may not always be fully
assessed. However, we know that these pollutants have harmful effects
on drinking water supplies, recreation, fisheries, and wildlife.
Q: What causes NPS pollution?
A: We all play a part in NPS pollution. Each of us can contribute to
the problem without even realizing it.
Q: What can we
do about nonpoint source pollution?
A: We can all work together to reduce and prevent nonpoint source pollution.
Some activities are federal responsibilities, such as ensuring that
federal lands are properly managed to reduce soil erosion. Some are
state responsibilities, for example, developing legislation to govern
mining and logging, and to protect groundwater. Others are best handled
locally, such as by zoning or erosion control ordinances. And each individual
can play an important role by practicing conservation and by changing
certain everyday habits.
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