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Nonpoint Source Regulation

The definition of a nonpoint source is addressed under the Clean Water Act by the Environmental Protection Agency. However, the EPA does not provide direct terms of regulation of nonpoint sources. Instead, the agency leaves regulation up to state and local governments. Many states have taken the steps to implement their own management programs for places such as their coastlines, all of which have to be approved by both NOAA and the EPA. The goal of these programs are to create a foundation of that encourages pollution reduction by growing and improving programs that are already implemented. Programs within these state and local governments look to Best Management Practices (BMPs) to accomplish this goal, producing a maximum reduction in pollution in the least costly way possible. BMPs can be implemented for both agricultural and urban runoff, and can also be either structural or nonstructural methods. Many agencies, like the EPA and USDA, have approved and provided a list of commonly used BMPs for the many different categories of nonpoint source pollution.