Agricultural Runoff

Also known as non-point source (NPS) pollution, agricultural runoff can be any pollutant, such as sediments, excess nutrients, pathogens, concentrated animal waste or agricultural chemicals, that is transported to nearby waterways through water runoff or soil erosion. Runoff can seriously degrade the quality of both ground and surface water, including wetlands and sources for drinking water, such as wells, aquifers and reservoirs. The EPA reports that NPS pollution from agricultural runoff is the leading cause of water quality degradation in lakes and streams in the United States. This kind of pollution can be minimized though agricultural practices, such as cover cropping (to reduce soil erosion), composting (to capture and contain nutrients from animal manure), organic farming and Integrated Pest Management (IPM).