What is the difference between point and non-point source pollution?
Point sources are sources of pollution which drain directly into a body of water, such as wastewater treatment facilities. All point source discharges must be accompanied by a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit, which is applied for and issued by the NDEQ. You can find out more about NPDES Permits here: http://www.deq.state.ne.us/WaterPer.nsf/Pages/NPDES. Non-Point sources are sources of pollution that come from many sources and is generally caused by rainfall or snowmelt that moves through the ground. For example, fertilizers used by homeowners or agriculture may be washed into nearby streams or lakes. For more information on non-point source pollution, click here: http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/qa.html.
