Protecting human health and aquatic life in Oregon's rivers, lakes, and coastline
Nonpoint sources are often linked with agricultural, forestry, urban, and rural residential land use activities where rain or snow runs off to surface waters. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural pollutants and pollutants resulting from human activity, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and groundwater.
Polluted runoff causes damage to fish, wildlife, and their habitat; damages drinking water supplies; promotes excessive weed growth; and degrades Oregon's scenic beauty and recreational opportunities. Nonpoint sources continue to be a leading cause of significant water quality impacts across the state and the nation as a whole.
The goal of DEQ's Nonpoint Source Program is to prevent and eliminate water pollution from nonpoint sources in all waterbodies in the state. A nonpoint source of pollution is any pollution entering a waterbody that does not come directly from a pipe. Through control of pollutant sources for all waterbodies, DEQ's goal is to meet water quality standards that protect human health and aquatic life. Oregon's NPS Program is an important part of the state's water pollution control programs because for some pollutants, nonpoint sources of pollution are the major sources of pollution to a waterbody.
Oregon’s Nonpoint Source Management Program Plan describes Oregon’s programs and process for preventing and controlling nonpoint source pollution. The plan is a requirement of the federal clean water act and must be approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The intended timeframe for this plan is from Jan. 1, 2022 – Dec. 31, 2026. After this timeframe the plan will be reevaluated and revised as necessary.
EPA uses the plan and annual reporting on its implementation to determine if Oregon is making “satisfactory progress” with its nonpoint source program. This determination is what allows EPA to provide federal Clean Water Act 319 funds to the State.
The Oregon Nonpoint Source Pollution Program Annual Reports document the activities and accomplishments of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s implementation of the state’s Nonpoint Source Program. DEQ develops these reports annually to meet the requirements of Section 319 of the federal Clean Water Act and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2014 Nonpoint Source Program and Grant Guidelines.
The reports provide a summary of the nonpoint source activities implemented by the state during past years and highlight the progress Oregon is making toward meeting the substantial challenges presented by nonpoint source pollution.
See also: Past Annual Reports, Years 2000-2019, 75MB Zip file