Clean Water Act Section 319 Pollution Control Program

According to the U.S. EPA, Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution is “caused when rainfall or snowmelt, moving over and through the ground, picks up and carries natural and human-made pollutants, depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters and ground water.  Nonpoint source pollution, unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants, comes from many diffuse sources.  Nonpoint source pollution can include:  excess fertilizers, herbicides either from agricultural lands and or residential areas; oil, grease and toxic chemicals; bacteria from livestock, pet wastes and faulty septic systems; sediment from crop and forest lands, and sediment or debris from construction sites.

Ak-Chin’s Environmental Programs has received grant funding to address non-point source pollution, erosion mitigation issues, and invasive species removal along Smith and Vekol Wash.