State initiatives in nonpoint-source pollution control

Excerpt

ALONG with the control of toxic material and the cleanup and abatement of groundwater contamination, control of nonpoint-source pollution currently ranks high as a priority for many states and for the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators (ASIWPCA).

ASIWPCA, which represents the interests of state, interstate, and territorial officials who administer water quality programs, recently examined water quality progress over a 10-year period, 1972-1982. The results of that assessment were published in America's Clean Water, the States' Evaluation of Progress, 1972-1982.

A nonpoint-source data base

Overall, the findings of the assessment identified the need for more comprehensive evaluation of nonpoint-source pollution problems and more aggressive implementation of control programs.

In the ASIWPCA assessment, 45 states evaluated the geographic extent and severity of various nonpoint sources of pollution. The proportion of waters affected by a particular source determined geographic extent. In judging severity, the states considered the degree to which each source impaired designated uses.

The nonpoint-source pollutants most seriously affecting water quality in the states are suspended particles of solid materials, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) that promote undesirable growth of algae; water-related bacteria and pesticides; and …