Water: Polluted Runoff
Clean Water Act Section 319
Background | Applying for & Administering Grants | Current Guidance | Past Guidance | Reports & Project Summaries | Contacts & Websites
Explore Polluted Runoff
(Nonpoint Source Pollution)
The Section 319 Nonpoint Source Management Program provides funding to states, territories and tribes to mitigate nonpoint source pollution. (Photo courtesy of NRCS)
EPA is issuing draft Nonpoint Source Program and Grants Guidelines for States and Territories (PDF) (59 pp, 1.4MB, About PDF). These guidelines are available for review and comment by states and territories, as well as other interested stakeholders. Please submit comments to EPA at 319grants@epa.gov by COB Dec. 21, 2012 (extended from Dec. 7).
The 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act (CWA) established the Section 319 Nonpoint Source Management Program. Section 319 addresses the need for greater federal leadership to help focus state and local nonpoint source efforts. Under Section 319, states, territories and tribes receive grant money that supports a wide variety of activities including technical assistance, financial assistance, education, training, technology transfer, demonstration projects and monitoring to assess the success of specific nonpoint source implementation projects.
EPA has released guidance on the key components of an effective state nonpoint source (NPS) management program (PDF) (7 pp, 73K, About PDF). This guidance is an update to guidance issued by EPA in 1997. EPA intends to publish this guidance as an appendix to the forthcoming Nonpoint Source Program and Grants Guidelines for States and Territories in early 2013. EPA has released this guidance in November 2012 to assist states and territories in their efforts to update their programs as expeditiously as possible. This guidance is a companion to, but distinct from, the forthcoming 319 grant guidelines. The state’s written NPS management program is the roadmap for all state NPS program activities, including activities supported by resources and programs other than CWA Section 319 funds. Updates to these state nonpoint source programs are vital for EPA and the states to ensure that section 319 funding, technical support and other resources are directed in an effective and efficient manner to support state efforts to address water quality issues.
Background Information
- Section 319 of the Clean Water Act
Text of Section 319 from the CWA. - Clean Water Act Section 319(h) Grant Funding History
Table listing grant funding totals starting in 1990.
Applying for and Administering 319 Grants
- Process for Applying for 319(h) Funds
This page provides background information on securing 319(h) funds. - Applying for and Administering CWA Section 319 Grants: A Guide for State Nonpoint Source Agencies
This manual provides an overview of federal grant requirements that will guide state and territory nonpoint source agency staff when applying for and administering grants awarded under the Clean Water Act Section 319. - Information for Tribal 319 Grants
This page includes information on nonpoint source grant funding for tribes, tribal nonpoint source workshops and other tribal-specific resources. - Section 319 Grants Reporting and Tracking System (GRTS)
The Grants Reporting and Tracking System (GRTS) is the primary tool for management and oversight of the EPA’s Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution Control Program.
Current Section 319 Grant Guidance
- Nonpoint Source Program and Grants Guidelines for States and Territories (Oct. 23, 2003) | PDF Version (22 pp, 133K, About PDF)
These guidelines apply to grants appropriated by Congress in Fiscal Year 2004 and in subsequent years. - Guidance on the key components of an effective state nonpoint source (NPS) management program (PDF) (7 pp, 73K, About PDF) . This 2012 guidance is an update to guidance issued by EPA in 1997. This guidance will assist states and territories in their efforts to update their programs. The state’s written NPS management program is the roadmap for all state NPS program activities. Updates to these state nonpoint source programs are vital to ensure that section 319 funding, technical support and other resources are directed in an effective and efficient manner to support state efforts to address water quality issues.
Past Section 319 Grant Guidance
- Supplemental Guidelines for the Award of Section 319 Nonpoint Source Grants to States and Territories in FY 2003
- Modifications to Nonpoint Source Reporting Requirements for Section 319 Grants
- Supplemental Guidelines for the Award of Section 319 Nonpoint Source Grants to States and Territories in FY 2002 and Subsequent Years
- Supplemental Guidelines for the Award of Section 319 Nonpoint Source Grants in FY 2001
- Supplemental Guidance for the Award of Section 319 Nonpoint Source Grants in FY 2000
- Nonpoint Source Program and Grants Guidance for Fiscal Year 1997 and Future Years
- Process and Criteria for Funding State and Territorial Nonpoint Source Management Programs in FY 1999
- Funding the Development and Implementation of Watershed Restoration Action Strategies under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act (FY 1999)
- Process for Approval of Upgraded State and Territorial Nonpoint Source Management Programs and Formal Recognition of Enhanced Benefit Status (FY 1997)
- Guidance on the Use of Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Authorities to Address Management Needs for Lakes and Reserviors (issued in 1998)
- Questions and Answers on the Relationship Between the Section 319 Nonpoint Source Program and the Section 314 Clean Lakes Program
Reports and Project Summaries
- A National Evaluation of the Clean Water Act Section 319 Program (November 2011) (PDF) (194 pp, 2.5MB, About PDF)
This national program evaluation was conducted by EPA to improve understanding of how states utilize and leverage their 319 funds to achieve nonpoint source management program goals and to identify opportunities for improvement of the 319 program. - Section 319 Nonpoint Source Success Stories
This site demonstrates the successful implementation of the Section 319 Clean Water Act Nonpoint Source program. The site provides examples of successful solutions to a variety of water quality problems caused by nonpoint source pollution. - Section 319 Final Project Reports (PDF) (101 pp, 3.3MB, About PDF)
This document describes the purpose of Section 319 final reports, the information that should be included in the report, examples of especially effective elements from 319 reports, and ways to expand the final report to be used for outreach and education, building partnerships, and many other uses. - Section 319 National Monitoring Program
Projects that comprise a small subset of NPS pollution control projects funded under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act as amended in 1987. The goal of the program is to support 20–30 watershed projects nationwide that meet a minimum set of project planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation requirements designed to lead to successful documentation of project effectiveness with respect to water quality protection or improvement. - Section 319 Nonpoint Source National Monitoring Program Successes and Recommendations (November 2000, pre-print) (PDF) (36 pp, 2.2MB, About PDF)
The Section 319 National Monitoring Program projects have quantified water quality improvements from nonpoint source controls and strengthened strategies for effective future watershed programs. Highlights are given from 23 Section 319 National Monitoring Program projects. - Nonpoint Sources: Picking Up the Pace - EPA's Draft Proposed National Strategy for Strengthening Nonpoint Source Management, prepared for Presentation by EPA at the Wye River Conference Center to a Meeting of Stakeholders in the National Nonpoint Source Program on October 14, 1997. (Archived.)
Nonpoint Source Program Contacts and Websites for States, Territories, Tribes and EPA Regions
- This page contains lists of nonpoint source program contacts for states, territories, EPA Regions, including EPA Regional tribal contacts, as well as links to state and EPA Regional websites.
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