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Nonpoint Source Management Program :: The NPS Program

DWQ NPS Planning Unit

The DWQ Nonpoint Source (NPS) Planning Unit is the lead state agency responsible for the control of nonpoint source pollution in North Carolina. The NPS Unit is officially known as the Management Planning & Development Unit. This Unit sits within the Planning Branch of the Water Quality Section in the Division of Water Quality of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The Unit leads the state?s NPS Management Program under the following charge.

Mission of the NC Nonpoint Source Management Program

To restore and protect waters of the State whose uses are impaired or potentially impaired by nonpoint source pollution.

Goals of the NC Nonpoint Source Management Program
  • To better coordinate the efforts of the various nonpoint source agencies, local governments, and other stakeholders within North Carolina in support of the mission.
  • To prioritize the state?s waters and to target management efforts, advocating the most cost-effective measures available, in support of the mission. 
  • To integrate with related management programs and to develop new initiatives as needed in support of the mission. 
  • To account for the progress of management strategies in support of the mission.

The NPS Management Program in North Carolina is led by the NPS Unit in Division of Water Quality (DWQ) Planning Branch. The NPS Unit seeks to pull together all NPS programs and efforts within DENR and the state at large with the goal of reducing the harmful effects of land uses on surface and ground water. This is done, in part, by allocating about one quarter of the Section 319 grant awards to NPS programs within DENR and by allocating the remainder of the grant to a competitive contracting process.

The following DENR programs are supported in part or in full by Section 319 funds.

  • Nondischarge Permitting and Enforcement (DWQ)
  • Water Supply Watersheds (DWQ)
  • Clean Lakes (DWQ)
  • Basinwide Management (DWQ)
  • Erosion and Sedimentation Control (DLQ)
  • Agricultural NPS Pollution Control (DSWC)
  • Agriculture Engineering in Western NC (DSWC)
  • Tar-Pamlico Coordinator (DSWC)
  • Forestry BMP Compliance (DFR)
  • Solid Waste Disposal (DSWM)
  • On-site Wastewater Disposal (DEH)
  • Program Implementation (DWQ)
  • Administration (DWQ)

 

Program History:

In 1987, in view of the progress achieved in controlling point sources and the growing national awareness of the increasingly dominant influence of nonpoint source pollution on water quality, Congress amended the Clean Water Act to focus greater national efforts on nonpoint sources, NPS. In the Water Quality Act of 1987, Congress amended section 101, "Declaration of Goals and Policy," to add the following fundamental principle:

It is the national policy that programs for the control of nonpoint sources of pollution be developed and implemented in an expeditious manner so as to enable the goals of this Act to be met through the control of both point and nonpoint sources of pollution.

To further this objective, Congress enacted Section 319 in the Water Quality Act of 1987, which established a national program to control nonpoint sources of water pollution. Under Section 319, States must assess nonpoint source pollution problems and causes within the State, and adopt and implement management programs to control the nonpoint source pollution. Section 319 authorizes EPA to issue grants to States to assist them in implementing those management programs or portions of management programs which have been approved by EPA. Congress appropriates funds annually for states to implement the Programs, with the focus on establishing BMP demonstration projects.

In North Carolina, the State NPS Workgroup reviews and prioritizes proposals from agencies which the workgroup determines are appropriate to prevent and control NPS pollution. This is to ensure that all responsible agencies are involved in the 319 grant process. The 319 program has a base and a competitive component. The base portion provides funding for NPS staff and programs within the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The competitive portion provides funding to support agencies with NPS prevention and control responsibilities other than the lead State NPS agency.

The Governor has designated certain management agencies to be responsible for NPS controls for a variety of sources. Each of the agencies have their own program for addressing NPS issues, but DWQ is facilitating the coordination of overall 319 programs and working with them to increase their emphasis on water quality issues.. 

Last Modified: February 10, 2002 01:46:52 PM