|
125 East Erie St. |
| Painesville OH 44077 | |
| Phone: (440)350-2730 Fax: (440)350-2601 | |
| soil@lakecountyohio.org |
Pollution
Point Source Pollution VS. Non-point Source Pollution
What is pollution?
The word pollution conjures up many images. We are used to pictures of chemicals with unpronounceable names stored in barrels in secretive locations or oil slicks on Alaskan beaches. The truth of the matter is that potential pollutants are all around us. Anything can be a pollutant, and even the most dangerous chemicals, if handled properly can be prevented from polluting our environment. An example: breakfast cereal. In your bowl in the morning with milk, not a pollutant. A truckload of you favorite cereal in a creek would be a pollutant.
What are some of the sources of pollution?
When
we think of water pollution, we often think of a pipe dripping sludge into a
river or lake. This is what is known as point source pollution, which
enters water resources at an easily identifiable, distinct location through a
direct route. Point source pollution is easier to identify and measure compared
to non-point source pollution (NPS). We know exactly where the pollution is
coming from. This is point source pollution.
What is non-point source pollution?
Non-point Source Pollution
(NPS) also contributes many pieces to the pollution puzzle. NPS pollution is
water pollution where you cannot pinpoint where the pollution is coming from.
NPS comes from many different sources over a large area. It is difficult to
trace and hard to control. NPS pollution is created when rainwater, melted snow,
or irrigation water moves over land and through the
ground, collecting impurities as it travels. This water, called runoff, deposits
both natural and human-made pollutants into streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands and
some underground sources of drinking water. Imagine the path a raindrop takes
from the time it hits the ground until it ends up in Lake Erie. Any pollutant it
picks up on its journey becomes part of the NPS problem. These can include
lawn and agricultural chemicals, road salt, and even soil itself.
There are many types of pollutants that fall under the category of NPS pollution. Sediment, nutrients, toxins, and bacteria are among the most common. The types of NPS pollution you’ll find will depend on how the land is used in your community. Examples include excess fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides from agricultural lands and residential lawns; oil, grease, and toxic chemicals from urban runoff and energy production; sediment from improperly managed construction sites, crop and forest lands, and eroding stream banks; bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes, and faulty septic systems. We all play a part. NPS pollution results from a wide variety of human activities on the land. Each of us can contribute to the problem without even realizing it.
NPS Pollution, why should I care about it?
The effects of polluted runoff are not limited to large lakes or coastal bays. In fact, chances are that you don’t have to look any farther than your neighborhood stream or duck pond. Water pollution in your town, and perhaps in your own backyard, can result in anything from weed-choked ponds to fish kills to contaminated drinking water. NPS pollution affects humans, as well as the organisms that live in the polluted waterways.
There’s not much chance that you can ignore this problem, even if you want to. Concern over polluted runoff has resulted in an ever-increasing number of state and federal laws enacted over the last five years. At the federal level, a permit program for storm water discharges from certain municipalities and businesses is now underway, and coastal zone management authorities are in the process of adding non-point source control to their existing programs. In addition to implementing these federal programs, many states have passed laws altering local land use (planning and zoning) processes and building codes to address the problem of polluted runoff. The bottom line is that both polluted runoff and its management are likely to affect you and your town in the near future, if it hasn't already.Information taken from On the Trail of Nonpoint Source Pollution by Two Herons Environmental Consulting and NEMO Project Fact Sheet #2