Management Program for Nonpoint Source Water Pollution
The Nonpoint Source Management Program plans and implements activities designed to prevent or abate urban and other nonagricultural nonpoint source pollution in Texas waters.
- What is Nonpoint Source Pollution?
- The Watershed Approach
- 2012 Management Program
- 2017 Management Program Approved
- Grant Program
- Quality Assurance Project Plans
- Watershed Protection Plans
- Projects
- Annual Reports
- Public Education Resources
- BMP Finder
- For More Information
What Is Nonpoint Source Pollution?
Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution results when small amounts of contaminants from a large number of sources are carried by rainfall runoff into streams, lakes, or bays. For example, pollutants may be washed off lawns, construction areas, farms, or highways during a heavy rain and carried to a nearby creek.
Nonpoint source pollution is difficult to control because it comes from the everyday activities of many different people, such as fertilizing a lawn, using a pesticide, or constructing a road or building.
In contrast, pollution from point sources comes in large amounts from a single source, such as an industrial operation or a wastewater treatment plant. Pollution from most point sources is controlled through regulations that require treatment of a facility’s wastewater before it is discharged into a nearby lake or stream.
Pollution can alter the integrity of water in one or more ways: chemical, physical, biological, or radiological. Impairment occurs when the rate at which pollutant materials entering water bodies or groundwater exceeds their natural capacity to assimilate them.
The large number of nonpoint sources and the fact that they are difficult to regulate make the voluntary efforts of citizens, businesses, service organizations, and other groups an essential part of the effort to address NPS pollution in Texas.
The Watershed Approach
Protecting our water resources from the impacts of nonpoint source pollution is a complex challenge. Texas uses a watershed approach as its water quality management strategy to protect and restore water quality on a watershed basis. A watershed is the total geographic area that drains storm water (and pollutants) to a particular stream, lake, aquifer, or other water body. The watershed approach examines and addresses water quality concerns in each water body in the context of its watershed and all the potential sources of pollution the watershed contains.
The watershed approach operates under four principles:
- Diverse, well integrated partnerships
- A specific geographic focus(watershed)
- Action driven by environmental objectives and by strong science and data
- Coordinated priority setting and integrated solutions
Management Program
The Texas Nonpoint Source Management Program describes the programs and practices that the state uses to manage nonpoint source pollution in Texas. The TCEQ and the TSSWCB jointly update this comprehensive plan every five years.
2017 Management Program Approved
The 2017 Texas Nonpoint Source Management Program is now in final form, approved by the Texas Governor and the EPA. The previous version was approved by EPA in 2012. Significant events have occurred in the program since then, including implementation of the watershed action planning process to provide an important perspective on deciding how to address water quality issues in the state; rapid growth in the development and implementation of watershed protection plans for protection and restoration in Texas; enhanced coordination between the Nonpoint Source and Total Maximum Daily Load programs through the implementation of the §303(d) vision; increased coordination and project planning between state programs and partners; and substantial progress between the TCEQ, Texas General Land Office, EPA, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in moving the state closer to full approval of the Texas Coastal Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program. The state updated the program to incorporate these initiatives and to specify program goals for the upcoming planning period. You may order a printed copy of the document (#SFR-066/17) at the TCEQ Publications Page.
Public Education Resources
- TCEQ NPS Education Materials
- The EPA's Nonpoint Source Outreach Toolbox
is intended for use by any organization interested in educating the public about pollution from runoff. The Toolbox contains:
- A robust search feature to help you find the most applicable TV, radio or print materials in the Toolbox's product catalog to meet your specific nonpoint source/stormwater outreach needs
- Many materials—TV, radio, and print ads—on various nonpoint source and stormwater topics of concern
- A robust search feature
- EPA's SepticSmart: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched “SepticSmart,” a new program encouraging homeowners to take steps to maintain their home septic systems, preventing costly repairs and pollution to local waterways. This national program also provides tools and materials for local and regional outreach programs. Projects funded by the TCEQ Nonpoint Source Program to provide homeowner outreach and training in regard to On-Site Sewage Facilities will be expected to make full use of these resources. For more information, visit SepticSmart.
BMP Finder
The Draft BMP Finder is a supplement to the Best Management Practices (BMPs) section of the Management Program. The BMP Finder provides cross-references to standard terms, descriptions, technical guidance, and implementation considerations for NPS BMPs.
- Draft BMP Finder
PDF Word (Help downloading files)
For More Information
To find out more about the NPS Program, call 512-239-6682 or e-mail us at nps@tceq.texas.gov.