Non-point pollution

Loads of pollutants
 Non-point Sources: Pollutants
• nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus from over-
application of fertilizers and manures (surplus nutrients)

• fecal and other pathogens from livestock and from

overloaded and badly connected drainage systems

• organic wastes (slurries, surplus crops, sewage sludge and

industrial wastes) that are poorly stored or disposed of and
spread to land

• oil and chlorinated solvents from industrial areas

• road salt runoff from paved surfaces

– sodium chloride and calcium chloride: icy conditions
Sediment: soil particles that were eroded from the land and
transported to surface waters

• Erosion: a natural process that usually occurs gradually because

vegetation protects the ground
• When land is cleared or disturbed to build a road or bridge, the rate
of erosion increases
• When vegetation is removed and the soil is left exposed, it can
quickly wash away in the next rain

Effects of Erosion:
• Erosion around bridge structures, road pavements, and drainage
ditches can damage and weaken these structures.
• Sediment settles out of the water in a lake, stream, or bay onto
aquatic plants, rocks, and the lake bottom.
• This sediment prevents sunlight from reaching aquatic plants, clogs
fish gills, chokes other organisms, and can smother fish spawning
and nursery areas.
• Other pollutants such as heavy metals and pesticides adsorb to
sediment and are transported with it by wind and water. These
pollutants degrade water quality and can harm aquatic life by
interfering with photosynthesis, respiration, growth, and
reproduction.
Heavy metals:

• from atmospheric deposition, abandoned mines, industrial

processes, car and truck exhaust, worn tires and engine parts, brake
linings, weathered paint, and rust
• "natural" sources such as minerals in rocks
• heavy metals: toxic to aquatic life and can potentially contaminate
groundwater

Oils and grease, hydrocarbons:

• car maintenance, disposal of waste oils, spills from storage and

handling, road and industrial run-off
• oils and grease are leaked onto road surfaces from car and truck
engines, spilled at fueling stations, and sometimes discarded
directly onto pavement or into storm sewers
• rain and snowmelt transport these pollutants directly to surface
waters.
Debris: Grass and shrub clippings, pet waste, food containers,
and other household wastes and litter
Effects:
• unsightly and polluted waters
• pet waste from urban areas can add pathogenic
microorganisms and nutrients to surface waters

Fertilizers, pesticides, veterinary medicines and biocides:

from industrial, municipal and agricultural use, poor storage
and handling, and run-off
• if these are applied excessively or improperly, rainwaters can
carry fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides.
Effects:
• In rivers, streams, lakes, and bays, fertilizers contribute to
algal blooms and excessive plant growth, and can lead to
eutrophication.
• Pesticides and herbicides can be harmful to human and
aquatic life.
Loads of pollutants
 Unit loads of pollutants
• Pollutant generation per unit area and per
unit time:
– kg/ha-year

• In urban area/for highways:

• Mass/unit length
– kg/km
 Impact of non-point pollution depends on…
the impact of these pollutants is not uniform
• may vary from place to place
• may vary from year to year

• Nature of the receiving water body: i.e. some water bodies are more
sensitive to pollutant inputs than others
• Climate: affects the mobilization of pollutants to watercourses and
the dilution of pollutants in receiving water bodies
• Soil type: depending on properties such as texture, soils can act as
a sink or filter for pollutants
• Geology: The nature of the underlying rock determines the character
of the overlying soils and influences water movement through soils.
• Land use: which is largely determined by the factors described
above, affects the source and transport of pollutants
 Climate/Atmospheric events
Discharges from non-point sources are usually intermittent
• associated with a rainfall or snowmelt event
• occur less frequently and for shorter periods of time compared to
point source discharges

• Pollution occurs when rainfall, snowmelt, or irrigation runs over land,

picks up and carries away the pollutants, and deposits them into
rivers, lakes, and coastal waters or introduces them into
groundwater.

• For groundwater, nonpoint pollutants are transported through the

soil column and can take many years to become a noticeable
problem. Where the groundwater connection with surface waters is
high, pollution can pass from one to affect the other.

• Imagine the path taken by a drop of rain from the time it hits the
ground to when it reaches a river, groundwater, or the ocean. Any
pollutant the water picks up on its path can become a part of NPS
problem.
Silt-laden runoff from a residential area contains not only soil and clay
particles from nearby construction, but also small amounts of lawn
chemicals, oil, grease, gasoline, and even residues from recent highway
de-icing.
http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/Po-Re/Pollution-Sources-Point-and-Nonpoint.html
% of impaired waters
NPS pollution: misuse and overuse of land
• closely linked to land use

Land use: primary or primary and secondary uses of land, such as

cropland, woodland, pastureland, etc.
Land use is characterized by the arrangements, activities and inputs
people undertake in a certain land cover type to produce, change or
maintain it

Different land uses in rural vs. in urban areas

Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
• Buildings (red and yellow)
• Streets
• Vegetation
– Trees: dark green
– Grass: bright green
• Water
Miscellaneous:
Industrial zones
Contaminated land
Pastures
Classification results of multitemporal remote sensing images in Jiulong River basin, China

Zhang, X., Zhou, L., Liu, Y. 2018. Modeling Land Use Changes and their Impacts on Non-Point Source Pollution in a
Southeast China CoastalWatershed, Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 15, 1593; doi:10.3390/ijerph15081593
 Land use planning
basic idea is to apply land use planning techniques
•to preserve sensitive areas
•to minimize the amount of impervious cover within a given
watershed.

•Impervious cover: sum total of all hard surfaces within a

watershed including rooftops, parking lots, streets, sidewalks,
driveways, and other surfaces that are impermeable to infiltration
of rainfall into underlying soils and groundwater.

•the more impervious surface areas there are in a watershed,

the less the amount of groundwater recharge, and the greater
the amount of runoff

•a correlation between the percentage of impervious cover and

the level of degradation of aquatic organisms
– due to the poor quality of the runoff as well as more
frequent floods
 Land use planning techniques

Land use planning techniques to reduce the adverse effects of

urbanization on a watershed

•Storm water management practices are used to delay, capture,

detain, treat, or infiltrate storm.
 Reminder…Non-point Sources
• Agriculture, return flows from irrigated agriculture
• Farming
• Livestock grazing
• Forestry, logging operations
• Septic systems
• Urban runoff
• Stormwater discharges
• Construction
• Physical changes to stream channels, and habitat destruction
• Transport
• Mining
• Landfill sites (leachate production)
• Atmospheric deposition

• Most important ones?

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/12/12152505/25070
 Example: Scotland
Agriculture: significant cause of diffuse water pollution in Scotland due
to its dominant land use

• agriculture is clearly the dominant pressure affecting rivers

• both agriculture and forestry are significant pressures for lakes

• for transitional and coastal waters, agriculture is also the dominant

pressure, although pollution from sea and coastal water transport
are nearly as significant.

• for groundwater, agriculture is again the most significant pressure,

but diffuse pollution from urban areas and septic tanks is also
significant.
 Example: USA

• agriculture is the leading contributor to water quality

impairments

• degrading 60 percent of the impaired river miles and half

of the impaired lake acreage

• runoff from urban areas is the largest source of water

quality impairments to surveyed estuaries (areas near
the coast where seawater mixes with freshwater)

http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/facts/point1.htm
 Example: Minnesota River
Where does nitrate come from?

• More than 70% of the nitrate is coming from cropland, the rest from sources
such as wastewater treatment plants, septic and urban runoff, forest, and the
atmosphere.
• Municipal wastewater contributes 9% of the statewide nitrate load.
• Nitrate leaching into groundwater below cropped fields and moving
underground until it reaches streams, contributes an estimated 30% of
statewide nitrate to surface waters.

https://mrbdc.mnsu.edu/mnnutrients/watersheds/minnesota-river-headwaters
 Example: England
• Agriculture is a major polluter of water in English waters
• Over 70% of nitrates and 40% of phosphates in English waters
originate from agricultural land
• Up to a half of England's bathing waters are affected by short
term contamination by agricultural pollution, mainly by microbes
from livestock manure being washed off farm land after rain
• The majority of silt loads to English rivers and lakes is derived
from heavy soil erosion from agricultural land. This alters the
composition of gravel sediments, reducing water clarity and
causing serious problems for fish, plants and insects
• Pesticides are contaminating drinking water sources, requiring
expensive additional treatment at water works to remove
pesticides before this water can be supplied to consumers

http://www.defra.gov.uk/ENVIRONMENT/water/quality/nitrate/intro.htm
 Agriculture
https://blog.nus.edu.sg/agritated/page/4/

• Agriculture's impact on water quality depends on the

type of agricultural activity

major agricultural concerns to nonpoint source pollution:

• soil erosion and sedimentation
• nutrients
• pesticides
• irrigation
– impact on both water quality and quantity
 Agricultural impacts on water quality
Agricultural Impacts
activity
Surface water Groundwater
Tillage/ploughing Sediment/turbidity: sediments carry phosphorus and pesticides adsorbed to
sediment particles; siltation of river beds and loss of habitat, spawning ground, etc.

Fertilizing Runoff of nutrients, especially phosphorus, leading to eutrophication causing taste Leaching of nitrate to groundwater; excessive
and odor in public water supply, excess algae growth leading to deoxygenation of levels are a threat to public health.
water and fish kills.
Manure spreading Carried out as a fertilizer activity; spreading on frozen ground results in high levels Contamination of ground-water, especially by
of contamination of receiving waters by pathogens, phosphorus and nitrogen nitrogen
leading to eutrophication and potential contamination.
Pesticides Runoff of pesticides leads to contamination of surface water and biota; dysfunction Some pesticides may leach into groundwater
of ecological system in surface waters by loss of top predators due to growth causing human health problems from
inhibition and reproductive failure; public health impacts from eating contaminated contaminated wells.
fish. Pesticides are carried as dust by wind over very long distances and
contaminate aquatic systems 1000s of miles away (e.g. tropical/subtropical
pesticides found in Arctic mammals).
Feedlots/animal Contamination of surface water with many pathogens (bacteria, viruses, etc.) Potential leaching of nitrogen, metals, etc. to
corrals leading to chronic public health problems. Also contamination by metals contained groundwater.
in urine and feces.
Irrigation Runoff of salts leading to salinization of surface waters; runoff of fertilizers and Enrichment of groundwater with salts, nutrients
pesticides to surface waters with ecological damage, bioaccumulation in edible fish (especially nitrate).
species, etc. High levels of trace elements such as selenium can occur with serious
ecological damage and potential human health impacts.
Clear cutting Erosion of land, leading to high levels of turbidity in rivers, siltation of bottom habitat, Disruption of hydrologic regime, often with
etc. Disruption and change of hydrologic regime, often with loss of perennial increased surface runoff and decreased
streams; causes public health problems due to loss of potable water. groundwater recharge; affects surface water
by decreasing flow in dry periods and
concentrating nutrients and contaminants in
surface water.
Silviculture Broad range of effects: pesticide runoff and contamination of surface water and fish;
erosion and sedimentation problems.

Aquaculture Release of pesticides (e.g. Tributyltin (TBT)) and high levels of nutrients to surface
water and groundwater through feed and faeces, leading to serious eutrophication.
 Forests

Forests can have both a quantitative and qualitative effect

on water resources.

• flora
• structure of the forest stand
• soil type
• age of trees

affect

• amount of water interception, uptake, precipitation, and

evaporation
• quality of runoff and infiltration water
 Urban Runoff
• Urban land uses: impermeable land cover elements such as
roofs, roads, sidewalks, and parking lots
– conversion of pervious land cover to impervious surface
– more runoff and negligible infiltration
– increases in the rate of volume of storm runoff and reductions in
groundwater recharge

• Discharge of runoff waters directly to watercourses

– adverse effects on the quality of the receiving water body

• Combined sewer systems:

– increased hydraulic and pollutant loads on WWTPs
– combined sewer overflow

• Urban infiltration from lawns, parks, and golf courses

– fertilizers and pesticides: groundwater contamination

• Erosion due to construction sites

Impervious surfaces
 Urban Runoff
POLLUTANT SOURCES PROBLEMS

construction; tree increases turbidity; affects aquatic

sediment
removal organisms; can contain toxins

fertilizers; detergents;
N,P algae blooms; eutrophication
organic debris

toxins; heavy metals; disrupt food chain; carcinogenic; cause

carcinogens pesticides; herbicides fish kills

animal wastes; raw deplete oxygen; disrupt food chain; cause

organic debris
sewage; grass/leaves fish kills

petroleum motor oil; gasoline; axle disrupt food chain; deplete oxygen; harms
products grease birds & mammals
animal wastes; raw
pathogens health hazards
sewage
man-made plastic debris; tires;
unsightly; harms organisms
litter others
 Nonpoint source pollutants and major sources

Nutrients Heavy Metals Toxic Chemicals Pathogens

Acids and
Sediment Grease, Organic (Lead, Mercury, (Pesticides, Organic, (Bacteria,
Salts
Matter Zinc) Inorganic Compounds) Viruses)

•Croplands
•Construction Sites •Domestic
•Nurseries •Irrigated
•Mining Operations Sewage
•Orchards Lands
•Croplands •Mining Operations •Croplands, (from septic
•Livestock •Mining
•Logging •Vehicle Emissions •Nurseries, Orchards tanks or
Operations Operations
Operations •Urban Runoff, •Building Sites sewer
•Gardens, Lawns, •Urban Runoff,
•Streambank Roads, Parking Lots •Gardens, Lawns overflows)
Forests Roads,
Erosion •Landfills •Landfills •Livestock
•Petroleum Parking Lots
•Shoreline Erosion Waste
Storage Areas •Landfills
•Grazed Woodland •Landfills
•Landfills
 Classes of non-point source pollution

Agriculture Runoff from all categories of agriculture leading to surface and Phosphorus, nitrogen, metals, pathogens,
groundwater pollution. In northern climates, runoff from frozen sediment, pesticides, salt, BOD, trace elements
ground is a major problem, especially where manure is spread (e.g. selenium).
Animal feedlots during the winter. Vegetable handling, especially washing in
Irrigation polluted surface waters in many developing countries, leads to
Cultivation contamination of food supplies. Growth of aquaculture is becoming
Pastures a major polluting activity in many countries. Irrigation return flows
Dairy farming carry salts, nutrients and pesticides. Tile drainage rapidly carries
Orchards leachates such as nitrogen to surface waters.
Aquaculture
Forestry Increased runoff from disturbed land. Most damaging is forest Sediment, pesticides.
clearing for urbanization.
Liquid waste Disposal of liquid wastes from municipal wastewater effluents, Pathogens, metals, organic compounds.
disposal sewage sludge, industrial effluents and sludges, wastewater from
home septic systems; especially disposal on agricultural land, and
legal or illegal dumping in watercourses.
Urban areas

Urban runoff from roofs, streets, parking lots, etc. leading to
overloading of sewage plants from combined sewers, or polluted
Residential runoff routed directly to receiving waters; local industries and
Commercial businesses may discharge wastes to street gutters and storm
Industrial drains; street cleaning; road salting contributes to surface and
groundwater pollution.
Fertilizers, greases and oils, fecal matter and
pathogens, organic contaminants (e.g. PAHs
and PCBs), heavy metals, pesticides, nutrients,
sediment, salts, BOD, COD, etc.

Rural sewage Overloading and malfunction of septic systems leading to surface Phosphorus, nitrogen, pathogens (fecal
systems runoff and/or direct infiltration to groundwater. matter).

Transportation Roads, railways, pipelines, hydro-electric corridors, etc. Nutrients, sediment, metals, organic
contaminants, pesticides (especially
herbicides).
 Classes of non-point source pollution

Mineral Runoff from mines and mine wastes, quarries, well sites. Sediment, acids, metals, oils, organic
extraction contaminants, salts (brine).
Recreational Large variety of recreational land uses, including ski resorts, Nutrients, pesticides, sediment, pathogens,
land use boating and marinas, campgrounds, parks; waste and "grey" heavy metals.
water from recreational boats is a major pollutant, especially in
small lakes and rivers. Hunting (lead pollution in waterfowl).

Solid waste Contamination of surface and groundwater by leachates and Nutrients, metals, pathogens, organic
disposal gases. Hazardous wastes may be disposed of through contaminants.
underground disposal.
Dredging Dispersion of contaminated sediments, leakage from Metals, organic contaminants.
containment areas.
Deep well Contamination of groundwater by deep well injection of liquid Salts, heavy metals, organic contaminants.
disposal wastes, especially oilfield brines and liquid industrial wastes.

Atmospheric Long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants and deposition Nutrients, metals, organic contaminants.
deposition of land and water surfaces.
 Delivery Ratio
the amount of a pollutant generated at its source compared to the amount of
the pollutant actually reaching a water resource
– frequently expressed as a percentage.
• Point and nonpoint source pollutants may have different delivery ratios.
• A large percentage of many point source pollutants may actually reach a
water resource
– in nearly the same amount as when they were generated and released into the
environment

Point source: Waste product as part of a manufacturing process in a

commercial operation
• No wastewater treatment
• Direct discharge into a stream
– delivery ratio for this point source case:~ 100%
NPS: delivery ratios: variable
• Pollution from parking lots where the runoff flows from paved surfaces
directly to a storm sewer to a stream may have a large delivery ratio.
• Pollutants generated from agricultural land use is variable
– usually ranges between 1 and 40%
 Small delivery ratio for agriculture

• Much soil may be detached and eroded on an agricultural field

during a rainfall event
• however, only a small percentage of the sediment may actually
enter a stream depending on
– field slope
– soil type
– tillage direction
– proximity of field to stream
– proper use of sediment control methods or Best
Management Practices (BMP)
 Non-point Sources: Pollution Control
• For the control of diffuse pollution, practical methods of control
are focused on land management practices, rather than
traditional "end-of-pipe" regulation
• Non-point source pollution is controlled primarily through the
adoption of practical and cost-effective land management
practices that are known as Best Management Practices (BMPs)
• Best Management Practices (BMPs) are effective, practical,
structural or nonstructural methods which prevent or reduce the
movement of sediment, nutrients, pesticides and other pollutants
from the land to surface or ground water
• BMPs allow for everyday activities while reducing or preventing
nonpoint source pollution
• The use of BMPs protects water quality while maintaining the
economic value of land resources.
 Agricultural BMPs
• Conservation Tillage - the practice of leaving harvested plant materials on the soil
surface to reduce runoff and soil erosion;
• Crop Nutrient Management - managing all nutrient inputs helps ensure that nutrients
are available to meet crop needs while reducing nutrient run off;
• Pest Management - using various methods for managing pests while protecting soil,
water, and air quality;
• Conservation Buffers - using vegetation strips to provide additional barriers of
protection which prevent potential pollutants running off into surface waters;
• Irrigation Management - increasing irrigation efficiency can reduce nonpoint source
pollution of ground and surface waters;
• Grazing Management - managing livestock grazing to lessen the water quality
impacts (e.g. reduce erosion potential);
• Animal Feeding Operations Management - using runoff control, proper waste storage,
and nutrient management to minimize the impacts of animal feeding operations;
• Erosion and Sediment Control - using practices to conserve and reduce the amount
of sediment reaching water bodies, overall protecting agricultural land and water
quality.

http://extension.usu.edu/waterquality/htm/bmps/
Designing cow pastures that A flush tank and lagoon system
create physical obstacles to keeps the feeding area clean
stream wading can reduce for these Missouri dairy cattle.
the amount of animal waste The lagoon also stores
that enters a waterbody. nutrients for future application
to pastures.

http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/nps/agriculture.cfm
 Moving (Mobile) Sources
Bilge Water
• bilge: lowest part of a boat, designed to collect water that enters the
boat
• bilge water: water that collects and stagnates in the bilge of a ship

Ballast Water
• seawater that ships carry for stability and then discharge when their
cargo is unloaded
• ballast water pumped into a ship in one port contains organisms,
larvae, and sometimes even whole fish
• studies indicate that ballast water discharges are a major contributor
to the introduction of aquatic nuisance species into waters
• during the voyage, temperature changes in the ballast water and
lack of food and light kill many, but not all, of these organisms
• at the ships' destination, the cargo is loaded and the ballast water,
with its surviving stowaway organisms, is pumped out
• Some of these organisms then establish populations in the
surrounding waters
 Introduced/exotic/alien species
• 10 billion tons of ballast water/year is transferred around the globe and
released into foreign waters
• Over 100 species of marine organisms are known to have been introduced
by ballast water.
• Some introduced species severely deplete native populations or deprive
them of food.
• Introduced toxic dinoflagellates cause red tides and algal blooms that can
affect or even kill shellfish, fish, sea birds and humans.
• Ballast water often contains species — such as the zebra mussel and comb
jellyfish – that can colonize their new environment to the detriment of native
species and local economies.
• spread of the Zebra Mussel in the Eastern part of the US
• Japanese Weed in European Waters
• 23 alien species have been found in the Black Sea which originate in Japan
and other Pacific waters which have been carried in the ballast water taken
up by Tankers and Bulk carriers
• even very small quantities of water can contain organisms which proliferate
quickly when uncontrolled by other species found in the waters of origin.
 Moving (Mobile) Sources
• Balast water
In addition to introduction of exotic species, also
•Leftovers from previous cargo (e.g., oil)

• Bilge Water may contain water, oil, detergents, solvents, particles etc.

• Domestic wastewater: Generated by the crew of the vessels

• Accidental Pollution
• http://www.agls.uidaho.edu/bae452-552/
• http://www.defra.gov.uk/ENVIRONMENT/water/quality/index.htm
• http://www.defra.gov.uk/ENVIRONMENT/water/quality/nitrate/intro.htm
• http://www.defra.gov.uk/ENVIRONMENT/water/quality/nitrate/intro.htm
• http://www.deq.louisiana.gov/portal/Default.aspx?tabid=1982
• http://www.euwfd.com/html/sources_of_pollution_-_diffuse.html
• http://www.euwfd.com/html/source_of_pollution_-_overview.html http://www.environment-
agency.gov.uk/subjects/waterquality/252612/?lang=_e
• http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/categories.html
• http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/facts/point1.htm
• http://www.epa.gov/nps/MMGI/Chapter1/ch1-1.html
• http://ohioline.osu.edu/aex-fact/0465.html
• http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/12/12152505/25070
• http://www.state.in.us/nrc_dnr/lakemichigan/watqual/watqual2b.html
http://resources.ca.gov/ocean/html/chapt_5b.html
• http://www.ew.govt.nz/enviroinfo/water/healthyrivers/waikato/facts6f.htm
• http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/smartgrowth/19set.htm
• http://www.sailing.org/default.asp?ID=j/,FnA?/&MenuID=t67mGMnon~824QM6/%60xAM4Y1TU0
d6YZUhv~JMBMq/RNTdbdlYpYP3PWct8Ulz4
• http://photogallery.nrcs.usda.gov/Detail.asp
• or.water.usgs.gov/.../gifs/will_basin_giras.gif
• http://www.vrvis.at/2d3d/technology/segmentationclassification/landuseclassification/landuseclas
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• www.water.ky.gov/sw/nps/About.htm
• http://www.austmus.gov.au/factsheets/ballast.htm
• http://enfo.ie/wat_main.htm
• http://coconet.ucc.ie/workshop%203/A%20view%20through%20the%20window.pdf
• http://ohioline.osu.edu/aex-fact/0465.html
• www.water.ky.gov/sw/nps/About.htm
• http://www.fao.org/docrep/W2598E/w2598e04.htm
• http://www.iwr.msu.edu/edmodule/water/luwqual.htm
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• http://www.defra.gov.uk/ENVIRONMENT/water/quality/nitrate/intro.htm
• http://www.iwr.msu.edu/edmodule/water/luwqual.htm