Nonpoint source pollution

Abstract

Nonpoint source pollution is a major issue preventing thousands of US waterbodies, including most estuaries, from meeting water quality standards. The impacts are pervasive and harmful to humans, wildlife, and the environment. The sources and pathways are diverse and difficult to define, which makes identification and management complex. Federal regulations enforced by the USEPA do not currently provide direct regulatory control of nonpoint sources of pollution, but there is funding and resources available to plan for and manage their impacts. NOAA’s recent report on conditions in estuaries calls for “coordinated and integrated action that balances management action, efficient monitoring to assess the effectiveness of the management, targeted research, and a communications campaign aimed at engaging the broader community” (Bricker et al., 2007). Thus a multi-pronged approach is needed in order to address this challenging issue.