NONPOINT SOURCE WATER POLLUTION

Nonpoint source pollution generally results from land runoff, precipitation, atmospheric

deposition, drainage, seepage or hydrologic modification. Nonpoint source pollution, unlike

pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants, comes from many diffuse sources. This

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 ground waters.

Major Nonpoint Source Pollution Categories

Water movement is the prime mode of transport for nonpoint source pollutants, whether

they are dissolved in water or suspended in surface runoff.

SEDIMENT EROSION AND THE POLLUTANT TRANSPORT PROCESS

Sediment erosion is the result of a complex interaction between the timing, intensity, and

duration of precipitation and the structure of the landscape. Because many nonpoint source

pollutants are transported with suspended sediments, the factors that contribute to soil erosion also
contribute to nonpoint source pollution. Soil erosion can be separated into four categories:

rainsplash, sheetwash, gullying, and stream and channel erosion.

Four Categories of Soil Erosion:

1. Rainsplash

-From direct impact of falling raindrops; detached soils and chemicals can be

transported downhill.

2. Sheetwash

-From raindrop splash and runoff in wide, thin layers of surface water; wall of

water transports pollutants downhill.

3. Gullying

-From concentrated rivulets of water cutting 5- to 10-cm rills in soil; rills grow

into gullys.

4. Stream/channel

-From confluence of rills and gullys; increased volumes and velocities cause

erosion along streams and river beds.

 Estimating Sediment Erosion

One method for estimating the sediment transport from sheet and rill erosion is a loading

function based on the universal soil loss equation (USLE)

A = R x K x LS x C x P
 Where:

A = soil loss (ton/acre-year)

R = rainfall erosivity index

K = soil erodibility factor

LS = topographic factor

C = vegetation cover factor

P = erosion control practice factor

The rainfall erosivity index (R) is calculated by summing the product of rainfall energy

during an individual storm event (E), measured in foot-tons per acre per inch of rainfall, and the

maximum 30-min rainfall intensity (Z), measured in inches per hour, for a specific period of time

such as one year or a season.

The soil erodibility factor (K), is the average soil loss, in tons per acre, per 100 ft.-tons per

acre of rainfall erosivity standardized for a plot of land with 9% slope, 72.6 ft. long, under

continuous cultivation.

The topographic factor (LS), combines both the slope length and slope-steepness factors

and reflects the effect of both length of flow and steepness of slope on soil loss. These two factors

together account for the capability of runoff to detach and transport soil material.

The vegetation cover factor (C) and the erosion-control practice factor (P) adjust for the

influences of different vegetation types and erosion-control techniques. Both are calculated as

ratios compared to the soil quantity eroded from clean-tiled soil under identical slope and rainfall

conditions. Local Soil Conservation Service offices keep records of regional values for C and P.
Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE)

 Developed by Agricultural Research Service (U.S. Department of Agriculture) scientists

W. Wischmeir and D. Smith in 1965 to predict soil loss in agriculture regions.

 USLE was developed for agricultural land, the equation factors are best defined for

pastures and cropland.

Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE)

 Newer version of USLE

 Available as a computer model from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

National Sedimentation Laboratory website (http://www.sedlab.olemiss.edu/rusle)

 Used to estimate sediment erosion and loading on a much larger scale

PREVENTION AND MITIGATION OF NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION

There has been a growing emphasis on prevention and mitigation of nonpoint source

pollution during the past decade. Many counties now require agricultural “farm plans” that provide

site-specific guidance for minimizing agricultural nonpoint source pollution. Similarly, many

cities are now required to have discharge permits for storm drains that empty into natural water

bodies.

Practices for preventing and mitigating nonpoint source pollution from three types

of human activities:
1. Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution

Pollution control in agricultural areas is aimed at preventing or reducing sediment erosion;

controlling pesticide runoff; improving the efficiency of fertilizer and irrigation water use, and

reducing the amount lost to groundwater and surface water runoff; improving riparian and

conservation buffers; restricting animal access to streams; and improving manure management

techniques. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the USDA have developed

a training module for learning agricultural management practices that protect water quality.

The eight basic types describes by the USPA and USDA module practices.

1. Conservation tillage

Involves leaving crop residues from previous plantings in place rather than plowing the field

before replanting. It reduces soil erosion, it helps hold nutrients and previously applied pesticides

in the field and soil moisture.

2. Crop nutrient management

Designed to increase the efficiency of applying crop fertilizers by measuring soil

nutrient levels (particularly nitrogen), plant chlorophyll concentrations (this helps

determine the nitrogen needs for a particular crop), soil organic matter concentrations, and

irrigation water nutrient concentrations.

3. Pest management

Incorporates the concept of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which uses a

combination of approaches to control plant pests. . Chemical pesticides are still used in IPM,

but only sparingly, and only in conjunction with natural controls such as selecting resistant
crops, timing harvests and rotating crops to upset the pest’s life cycle, and using biological

controls such as natural predators.

4. Conservation buffers

The main purpose of a conservation buffer is to use permanent vegetation to improve

the environment, which may include stabilizing soils, reducing nonpoint pollution to streams,

protecting crops and livestock, improving the aesthetic environment, and providing wildlife

habitat.

5. Irrigation water management

Designed to reduce nonpoint pollution associated with irrigation practices and reduce the

energy costs associated with transport and application of irrigation water.

6. Grazing management

Involves adjusting the number and kinds of animals in a pasture to limit soil erosion and

water pollution problems associated with overgrazing. This practice is closely associated with

animal feeding operations management.

7. Animal feeding operations management

Includes a grazing management plan along with exclusion of animals from

sensitive habitats such as stream banks and appropriate animal waste management

practices.

8. Erosion and sediment control

Includes a wide variety of agricultural practices designed to protect the soil from being

suspended and transported by water or wind.

2. Construction Nonpoint Source Pollution

Erosion of soil at construction sites will not only cause water quality problems offsite, but

may be regarded as the loss of a valuable natural resource. Builders of houses, highways, and other

construction view soil erosion as a process that must be controlled in order to maximize economic

return. Under the USEPA’s 1999 storm water management regulations, construction activities that

disturb one acre or more are required to have NPDES storm water permits.

Controlling nonpoint pollution at construction sites involves careful planning prior to,

during, and after the construction process. Prior to construction the site should be evaluated to

identify natural features that will affect drainage and soil erosion. An erosion control plan should

be developed to identify specific mitigation techniques that will be used during construction, and

long-term storm water and erosion control features that will become part of the final constructed

site. Environmentally sensitive areas, including steep slopes, critical wildlife habitat, and natural

waterways such as wetlands, ponds, and intermittent streams, must be identified, and clearing in

those areas must follow local construction and erosion control ordinances.

Step reducing sediment pollution from construction site:

1. Environmentally sensitive areas, including steep slopes, critical wildlife habitat,

and natural waterways such as wetlands, ponds, and intermittent streams, must be

identified.

2. Clearing in those areas must follow local construction and erosion control

ordinances.

3. Install erosion control devices.

 Techniques for controlling erosion from construction

1. Cover the soil using biodegradable mulch, plastic mesh, reseeded vegetation (or

existing vegetation), or other materials that prevent precipitation from landing on

bare soil.

2. Sediments can also be trapped on-site using sediment traps, catch basins,

vegetation filter strips, silt fences, straw bales, or gravel roadways.

3. Storm water can be deflected away from the site or channeled through the site in

such a way that sediment erosion is minimized.

4. Revegetate the site which should be done as quickly as possible ( may involve

several steps if the site is to be landscaped)

3. Urban Nonpoint Source Pollution

In 1983

- The Environmental Protection Agency published the results from the Nationwide

Urban Runoff Program (NURP), a comprehensive study of the water quality in storm

water runoff at 81 sites in the United States (USEPA 1983).

- Studies revealed that storm water runoff from urban areas contains higher

concentrations of many different kinds of pollutants, especially metals, nutrients

(nitrogen and phosphorus), oxygen-demanding substances, and suspended solids.

Subsequent studies have added pathogenic microorganisms, oil and petroleum

hydrocarbons, pesticides and a variety of synthetic organics to the list of urban storm

water pollutants.
Major categories and typical watershed sources of urban pollutants

Sources of Contaminants in Urban Storm water Runoff

Contaminant Typical Sources

Streets, lawns, driveways, roads, construction activities,

Sediment/ floatables
atmospheric deposition, drainage, channel erosion

Residential lawns, gardens, roadsides, utility right-of-ways,

Pesticides/ herbicides
commercial and industrial landscaped areas, soil wash off

Residential lawns, gardens, commercial landscaping, animal waste

Organic materials

Automobiles, bridges, atmospheric deposition, industrial areas,

Metals
soil erosion, corroding metal surfaces, combustion processes

Roads, driveways, parking lots, vehicle maintenance areas, gas

Oil/ grease/ hydrocarbons
stations, illicit dumping to storm drains

Lawns, roads, leaky sanitary sewer lines sanity sewer cross-

Microbial pathogens
connections, animal waste, septic systems

Lawn fertilizer, atmospheric deposition, automobile exhaust, soil

Nutrients (N and P)
erosion, animal waste, detergents
In 1990

Rules were introduced to reduce or to eliminate pollution in storm water runoff from urban

areas. They direct cities with population of 100,000 to begin managing storm water runoff as a

point source that require NPDES discharge permits. In December 1999, it was extended to include

cities with population of at least 10,000.

The NPDES permits have six required control measures

 public education and outreach

 public participation

 illicit discharge detection and elimination

 construction site runoff control

 post-construction runoff control

 pollution control/ good housekeeping

Though elimination of pollution requires technological approach, pollutants in storm

runoff can also be reduced through planning and regulatory efforts, by enforcement of existing

constructions regulations, and through public education.

Three major steps that can be taken to mitigate urban nonpoint source pollution

1. Reduce surface runoff

To reducing surface runoff, we can emphasize source control to reduce the amount

of pollutants deposited on impervious surfaces

 2. Use source control to reduce the amount of pollutants pick by runoff

Source control can be attained by increasing public education, providing waste

disposal sites (e.g., pet waste disposal stations, hazardous waste disposal sites), introducing

appropriate planning and regulatory policies, and enforcing pollution control regulations

3. Use appropriate technology to remove or treat pollutants in the runoff

Mitigating urban nonpoint source pollution is to use appropriate structural and

nonstructural BMPs to reduce the concentration of pollutants in storm runoff

Structural and Nonstructural Storm Water BMPs’

Structural BMPs

 Infiltration systems

- Reduce the total amount of surface runoff and the amount of sediment transport

by increasing the amount of precipitation that infiltrates into the soil

Example: Infiltration basins, porous pavement, infiltration trenches, infiltration

wells

 Detention systems

- Reduce pollutant transport by retarding the rate of runoff and by encouraging the

settling of suspended solids.

Example: Detention basins, underground vaults, pipes and tanks

 Retention systems

- Are wet ponds that are sized to hold a typical (e.g., 6-month) storm event.

Example: Wet ponds, retention tanks, tunnels, vaults, and pipes

 Constructed wetlands

- Are similar to retention systems and wet ponds in that they have permanent

standing water, but have the added advantage that they incorporate biotic

functions such as nutrient uptake and microbial degradation of pollutants.

Example: Artificial wetlands, wetland basins, wetland channel

 Filtration systems

- Can be incorporated into existing storm drainage structures by adding

underground vaults. It use sand, soil, organic material, carbon, or other materials

to filter out pollutants

Example: Sand filters, misc. media filters

 Bio filters and other vegetated systems

- Can be used to treat shallow flow or sheet flow by increasing infiltration and

reducing sediment transport.

Example: Grass filter strips, vegetated swales

Nonstructural BMPs

 Automotive product and household hazardous material disposal

 Commercial and retail space good housekeeping

 Industrial good housekeeping

 Modified use of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides

 Lawn debris management

 Animal waste disposal

 Maintenance practices (e.g., catch basin cleaning)

 Illicit discharge detection and elimination

 Education and outreach programs

 Storm drain inlet stenciling

 Minimizing directly connected impervious surfaces

 Low-impact development and land use planning