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Non-point source pollution arises when contaminants are carried into waterways by natural processes, like run-off or air currents. A common example is when run-off carries fertilizers from farms into waterways. Harder to pin-point--because the source covers a large land area--and more difficult to regulate than point-source pollution, especially because of the lack of explicit fault by any one person, non-point source pollution is a serious but insidious threat to ecosystem health. Examples of major contaminants include: !animas01.jpg!Source: USGS and Barbara Hite
- Suspended sediment
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In order to determine the management techniques for a specific waterway in respect to water quality, it is necessary to know the current and desired water quality levels for the waterway. Since the surroundings, hydrology, biota, etc. for each waterway differs, it is not feasible to generalize management techniques for each waterway, especially as water quality variables often interact (such as pH and dissolved metals concentration) (Chapman, 1996). As such, it is necessary for each country to establish a system of water quality monitoring and a set of regulations regarding water quality levels. !RPE_AL_Dist5_lg.jpg!Source: USGS
The water quality regulations should set:
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