Managing Polluted Runoff in Mississippi
When water from rainfall flows across the landscape, it can wash soil particles, bacteria, pesticides, fertilizer, pet waste, oil and other toxic materials into our lakes, streams and groundwater. This Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution is difficult to control because it comes from a diverse number of activities including fertilizing lawns and farm fields, driving and maintaining our cars, constructing buildings and roads, plowing our fields for crops, and harvesting trees.
The Mission of Mississippi’s Nonpoint Source Program
To conserve and improve State waters, for man’s use and the sustainment and propagation of wildlife and aquatic life, through focused research, responsible regulation, widespread education, and cooperation with other agencies and the public.
Nonpoint source pollution–or polluted runoff– is the leading cause of water quality problems in Mississippi.
Steps you can take to help control polluted runoff
What is a Watershed?
A watershed is an expanse of land where the water drains into a single place such as a stream, lake, or wetland. Click here to visit and learn more.
2020 NPS Management Plan Update
This document is Mississippi’s 2020 Nonpoint Source Pollution (NPS) Management Program Plan (hereafter referred to as the “Plan”). It is an update of Mississippi’s 2014 NPS Pollution Management Program Plan, approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This 2020 Plan has been updated and revised to better reflect how NPS pollution is managed in Mississippi. The emphasis and purpose of Mississippi’s NPS Pollution Management Program remains unchanged from the 2014 Plan. The focus of this program is on protecting and improving water quality for present and future generations of Mississippians, while sustaining the wildlife and aquatic animals who depend on Mississippi’s water resources. The Mississippi NPS Pollution Management Program involves focused research, widespread education, conservation activities, and cooperation with partners and the public.
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) realizes that an updated, comprehensive NPS Pollution Management Program is critical to the state and the EPA. It allows EPA and the state to ensure that funding, technical support, and other resources are directed in an effective and efficient manner to support state efforts to address NPS pollution. This Plan is designed to make implementation of the Mississippi NPS Pollution Management Program strategic, measurable, attainable, publicly accessible, transparent, and user-friendly. Furthermore, this Plan is meant to be dynamic in nature. It is designed to serve as a tool to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of program activities so that adjustments can be made to maximize program success.
Mississippi’s NPS Pollution Management Program is a vehicle for protecting and restoring clean, healthy water in the state. An added value seen through implementation of the program is the ability to inject federal dollars into the state and local economies to achieve these environmental benefits. Over the last five years (2015-2019), the Mississippi NPS Pollution Management Program has received approximately $15 million in federal grant funding from the Clean Water Act Section 319 Grant Program. Over $9 million of these dollars were awarded to local projects focused on the management and abatement of NPS pollution in Mississippi. These funds directly benefited local economies in our state.
2020 NPS Grant Work Plan
This work plan describes the activities that will be accomplished through the funding of the FY2020 Section 319 Grant
2023 NPS Annual Report
This report highlights the accomplishments made by the Non-Point Source Section in 2023.
