Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution occurs when contaminants are picked up by rain water and snow melt and carried over land, in groundwater, or through drainage systems to the nearest water body. NPS pollution is currently the number one pollution problem in U.S. coastal waters. Recognizing the seriousness of this problem, Congress added the Coastal Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program to the Reauthorization of the Coastal Zone Management Act in 1990. This legislation gives states the opportunity to work with federal agencies and already existing programs to develop and implement enforceable measures to restore and protect coastal waters from NPS pollution. The legislation also gives states the flexibility to design measures that are both environmentally and economically sound. The Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Office and the Department of Environmental Protection, in cooperation with a variety of other state agencies, are responsible for developing the Coastal Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program for the Commonwealth.

Click here to go to the Nonpoint Source table of contents. Published October 1994