Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program Grants

Controlling nonpoint sources of water pollution

Congress enacted Section 319 of the Clean Water Act in 1987 as a way of encouraging and supporting the states' efforts to develop management programs to control the complex problem of nonpoint source water pollution.

Nonpoint source pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground and carrying natural and human-made pollutants into lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, estuaries, other coastal waters, and groundwater. Atmospheric deposition and hydrologic modification are also sources of nonpoint pollution.

During the past 4 years of federal appropriations, Congress has increased its appropriations from $105 million in fiscal year 1998 to $238.4 million in fiscal year 2003 to help states focus more resources on the restoration of impaired waters as well as to generally implement more robust programs.

Despite all these program improvements, the EPA, states, and all our partners have continued to face daunting challenges in our efforts to implement nonpoint source programs that will protect both our good quality and threatened waters and restore those that are impaired.

Project Examples

The Buffalo River watershed in north central Arkansas covers 860,000 acres. From the headwaters in the Boston Mountains, the Buffalo River flows unobstructed for150 miles eastward to the confluence with the White River. Because of the unique scenic and scientific features associated with the free-flowing river, Congress established the Buffalo National River Watershed in 1972 to preserve this national treasure for future generations. Both citizens and resource agencies expressed concern over the construction and operation of a confined swine facility so close to the river. The Buffalo River Swine Waste Demonstration Project was initiated in 1995 with the primary goal of protecting the high-quality water in the Buffalo National River watershed by working with the local farmers and government agencies to identify and address the problems associated with the LAWMS. This 5-year project is evaluating existing swine liquid waste management practices and demonstrated the benefits of new or improved best management practices (BMPs) in protecting water quality.
The Grassland Bypass Project is an innovative program designed to improve water quality in the channels used to deliver water to wetland areas. Agricultural runoff is one of the primary sources of discharge to rivers and streams that do not meet water quality standards, affecting 70 percent of these million acres of land devoted to irrigated agriculture and where agricultural drainage and runoff provide a significant proportion of river flows during dry seasons. The Grassland Drainage Area is an agricultural region on the west side of California's San Joaquin Valley. The agricultural land there is productive, but the soil contains a high level of selenium, a naturally occurring trace element. In 1996, several irrigation and drainage districts formed the "Grassland Area Farmers," a regional drainage entity that includes some 97,000 acres of irrigated farmland. To meet the selenium load limits, the Grassland Area Farmers have implemented a wide variety of practices, including formation of a regional drainage entity, newsletters and other communications with the farmers, a monitoring program, an active land management program to use subsurface drainage on salt-tolerant crops, installation of improved irrigation systems, installation and use of drainage recycling systems to mix subsurface drainage water with irrigation supplies under strict limits, and tiered water pricing.

Application and Financial Information
Effective in October 2003, the EPA has developed guidelines for states' implementation of nonpoint source management programs under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act and for the award of Section 319 grants to states to implement those programs.

These guidelines apply to grants appropriated by Congress in Fiscal year 2004 and in subsequent years. The guidelines continue EPA's policy of focusing a significant portion of Section 319 funds ($100 million annually) to address watersheds where nonpoint source pollution has resulted in impairment of water quality. The remaining funds are to be used by states to help them implement their broad array of programs and authorities to address all of the water quality threats and impairments caused by nonpoint source pollution.

For grants awarded in fiscal year 2004 and subsequent years, these guidelines supersede and replace all of the following guidance documents: Nonpoint Source Program and Grants Guidance for Fiscal Year 1997 and Future Years (May 1996). The complete text of today's guidelines is also available at EPA's Nonpoint Source Website: www.epa.gov/owow/nps/cwact.html

For a detailed description of the program and grant guidelines, visit the Website at www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-WATER/2003/October/Day-23/w26755.htm.

Eligibility, Uses, and Restrictions
Section 319 grant funds are to be directed toward the states' and the EPA's common vision that all states implement dynamic and effective programs designed to achieve and maintain beneficial uses of water. Approved state nonpoint source management programs provide the framework for determining what activities are eligible for funding under Section 319(h).

Although these guidelines emphasize using Section 319 funds to develop and implement watershed-based plans to restore priority waters, states may also use Section 319 base funds for other activities that will generally support these goals, as well as water quality protection goals, including non-regulatory or regulatory programs.

Indian Tribes that have approved nonpoint source assessments and management programs and also have "treatment as a state status" may also administer nonpoint source management programs and grants under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. Because of differing statutory provisions that apply to Tribes, the EPA publishes separate guidance for Tribal nonpoint source programs and grants.

Contact
Romell Nandi
Nonpoint Source Control Branch
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
MC 2843
Washington, DC 20460
Phone: (202) 566-1203
E-mail: nandi.romell@epa.gov
E-mail: envsubset@epamail.epa.gov

Internet
www.epa.gov/OWOW/NPS/

Last Updated June 16, 2007