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  2. Polluted Runoff: Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution

Capacity-Building Resources for the Watershed Approach

  • Watershed Approach Overview
  • Planning Resources
  • Technical Resources
  • Funding Resources
  • Capacity-Building Resources

Capacity building means establishing resources needed to fulfill a mission or achieve a goal. Watershed groups and local governments need technical tools for scientific support, engineering support, information technology, assistance with legal issues, project management, outreach and planning support. They also need legal authority to conduct permitting, enforcement, contracting, fund raising and resource management activities. The most effective organizations are built upon a strong foundation of adequate resources, technical tools and legal authority. 

  • Getting in Step: A Guide to Effective Outreach in Your Watershed :This guidebook provides some of the tools watershed groups need to develop and implement an effective watershed outreach plan. If you're a watershed practitioner trained in the sciences, this manual will help you address public perceptions, promote management activities, and inform or motivate stakeholders. Related resources for this book include a 35-minute companion video of case studies and an online web training tutorial.

  • Building Local Partnerships (PDF):  This short document explains why partnerships are a key to effective watershed management. Through a partnership different people and organizations work together to address common interests and concerns.

  • National Conservation Training Center: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Conservation Training Center trains and educates natural resource managers to conserve fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats. Government, nonprofit organizations, and corporations can come together in a nonthreatening, collaborative setting to learn new skills, share perspectives, break down barriers, establish networks, find common ground, and move toward field-based solutions built on consensus and mutual interest. Located approximately 75 miles from Washington, D.C., the NCTC campus provides full-service residential facilities, complemented by professional staff, cutting-edge programs and curricula, and the most advanced technology available.

  • National Environmental Training Center for Small Communities:  NETCSC was established in 1991. Funded by the EPA, NETCSC seeks to improve small community health by helping environmental trainers improve drinking water, wastewater, and solid waste services in small communities (those with populations less than 10,000). These trainers help environmental professionals in small communities develop skills and knowledge so they can better plan, manage, and operate environmental infrastructure.

  • Top Ten Watershed Lessons Learned (PDF): As with any change of this magnitude, there has been much trial and error when dealing with watershed issues, and important lessons have been learned that are worth sharing. Oftentimes, these lessons have been shared informally through networking at conferences, by phone, or over the Internet. Watershed Lessons Learned is EPA's attempt to identify the top lessons learned and present them in one place.

  • Building Capacity for Nonpoint Source Management (pdf) (1.13 MB, September 2003)

Polluted Runoff: Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution

  • Basic Information
  • Types of NPS Pollution
    • Agriculture
    • Abandoned Mine Drainage
    • Forestry
    • Hydromodification and Habitat Alteration
    • Marinas and Boating
    • Highways and Bridges
    • Urban Areas
    • Wetland/Riparian Management
  • Success Stories
  • Using a Watershed Approach
  • Webinars
  • Technical Guidance and Tools
  • Nonpoint Source News-Notes
  • NPSINFO Discussion Forum
  • National NPS Monitoring Program
  • Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments (CZARA)
  • Grants Reporting and Tracking System (GRTS)
  • 319 Grant program for States and Territories
  • Tribal 319 Grant Program
  • Contacts for NPS Programs
  • Resources for Students and Educators
    • Darby Duck, the Aquatic Crusader
    • Word Search Puzzle
    • What's Wrong with This Picture?
Contact Us about Nonpoint Source Pollution
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on February 27, 2025
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