What is Nonpoint Pollution?
Nonpoint pollution is also known as polluted runoff or stormwater pollution. It refers to the pollution that comes from many small sources throughout a watershed. Nonpoint pollution occurs when soil particles, nutrients, bacteria or chemicals are washed off the land and into waterways by rain or melting snow. Many different land uses contribute to nonpoint pollution, including roads, parking lots, lawns, farm fields, logging operations and failing septic systems. Each small pollution source may not seem important, but together they add up to the leading cause of water quality problems today.
