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Nonpoint Source Pollution 

What is Nonpoint Source Pollution (or NPS pollution)? 

NPS pollution, unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants, comes from many diffuse sources. NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters and ground waters.

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What can YOU do?

Streamside



  • Establish riparian buffer to filter pollutants
  • DON'T leave bare ground 


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Residential & Urban



  • Expand OR maintain permeable surfaces that generate runoff (which carries pollutants)
  • Limit OR eliminate the use of fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides and herbicides
  • Limit the use of road salts OR use alternatives
  • Contain sediment from construction or other soil disturbances (sediment is a major pollutant of waterways!)
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Rural & Agricultural


  • Utilize conservation practices, such as no-till farming and planting cover crops, to reduce soil disturbance and runoff 
  • Manage livestock manure to reduce risk of inputting bacteria into water sources
  • Establish vegetative buffer/filter strips to prevent fertilizer, other excess nutrients or pollutants from entering drains, rivers, etc.

Learn more button - https://www.epa.gov/nps/nonpoint-source-agriculture

Contact Us:

Phone: (989) 723-9062
Email: info@shiawasseeriver.org

Mailing Address:

Friends of the Shiawassee River
PO Box 402
Owosso, MI  48867

Office Address:

Friends of the Shiawassee River
538 N Shiawassee Street
Corunna, MI  48817

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