319 Non Point Source InformationWhat Is Non-Point Source Pollution?
NPS pollution-polluted runoff-occurs when rainfall, snowmelt, or irrigation water runs over land or through the ground, picks up pollutants, and transports them into surface waters or ground water. Though the relative impact from a few nonpoint pollution sources might be small, the cumulative effect from many nonpoint sources degrades water quality. In fact, NPS pollution is the leading source of water quality problems in the United States. Major nonpoint sources of pollution often include agricultural practices; unrestricted livestock grazing; poor sitting and design of roads, highways, and bridges; forestry; urban runoff; abandoned mines; construction sites; channelization of streams; and hydromodification, such as building and maintaining dams and levees. Other sources include lawn and garden maintenance, malfunctioning septic systems, constructing marinas, boating, and storm drain dumping. Atmospheric deposition of pollutants originating from power plants, factories, trucks and automobiles is also considered NPS pollution.
What Are Management Measures or Best Management Practices?
NPS pollution can be addressed using various management measures, which are the best available economically achievable practices needed to solve a water quality problem. Another common term used is best management practices (BMPs). A BMP can be a particular technique, measure, or structural control used to manage the quantity and improve the quality of runoff to the maximum extent possible and most cost-effectively.
How Is the Peoria Tribe Implementing BMPs Regarding Non-Point Source Pollution?
The Peoria Tribe is currently working under the CWA base 319 grant. This grant includes the development of a Phosphorus Index, education to livestock farmers on non-point source pollution, continue monitoring of water sources for changes in water quality as part of the 106 water grant, and continue to educate the public on the impact of heavy metal contaminated water on the biosphere. The Tribe will continue to work under the CWA base 319 starting October 1, 2010. With the upcoming base grant, the Tribe plans to implement riparian planting at the Peoria Ridge Golf Course owned and operated by the Peoria Tribe. The golf course is subject to multiple nonpoint source pollutants. The goal of this project is to reduce sediment, nutrient, pesticides/herbicides, fertilizers, bacteria and heavy metals runoff from parking lots and then entering ponds located on the golf course along with other local watersheds. In order to reduce these NPS pollutants, the Peoria Tribe will plant native trees around parking lots and ponds located on Peoria Ridge Golf Course.
The Peoria Tribe will be working under the CWA national 319 grant starting October 1, 2010. The national 319 grant has multiple objectives which will be implemented on the Peoria Tribe Powwow Grounds. The Peoria Tribe powwow grounds are adgacent to an unnamed perennial stream. The stream flows through several hundred acres of crop and pasture land before it reaches the powwow grounds. From there, the stream flows through more crop and pasture lands before discharging into Elm Creek. Flooding of the stream during rain events is severe and will often cause road closures where a bridge crosses it as well as flooding of the traditional powwow campgrounds. Also the stream has eroded approximately five feet of soil and sediment exposing bedrock in its streambed. The goal of this project is to reduce the amount of NPS pollution entering the stream and to thereby increase the quality of the water in the stream. In order to accomplish this goal the Tribe would like to obtain the following objectives; decrease stream bank erosion, decrease nutrient loading from adjacent lands, slow down the flow of water during periods of high flow, increase the number of native plant species at the location, increase the amount of habitat availability for fish and other aquatic biota, increase the functionality of the powwow ground campsite and increase public awareness about NPS pollution.
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