Nonpoint Source Program (319) Management and Financial Assistance

319 Nonpoint Source Grant

"319(h) Grants in Maryland - Key Information For Seeking Funds"

The funds are being targeted to maximize nutrient load reductions to the Chesapeake Bay and to support Maryland's Biological Restoration Initiative (BRI). See Targeting Guidance (PDF - Leaving MDE Website). 

If you have questions, contact Eric Ruby at 410-537-3685 or eruby@mde.state.md.us

What is Nonpoint Source Pollution?

Nonpoint Source Pollution (NPS), unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment discharge pipes, comes from many diffuse sources. This type of pollution is called nonpoint source pollution because it does not come from a single outlet, waste pipe, or "point" source.  NPS is caused when water from rainfall or snowmelt moves over and through the ground.  During this movement, the water picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants.  Eventually, this water, with the pollutants it carries, reaches lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and even our underground sources of drinking water.

Nonpoint Source Pollution is one of the major contributors to degradation of Maryland’s waterways and the violation of water quality standards.  The kinds of pollutants associated with nonpoint sources are diverse and potentially include:

• Fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides from agricultural lands and residential areas;
• Oil, grease, and chemicals from urban runoff.
• Sediment from construction sites, croplands and forestlands, and eroding streambanks;
• Acid drainage from abandoned mines;
• Bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes, and septic systems;
• Atmospheric deposition and hydromodification are also sources of nonpoint source pollution.

Managing Nonpoint Source Pollution

Maryland's nonpoint source pollution problems are as diverse as its landscape.  In response, the State’s strategy is to pursue a wide array of nonpoint source pollution control programs that are aimed at combating these varied pollution sources. Revision and updating for Maryland's Nonpoint Source Management Plan is in progress. Information will be posted on this web site as it becomes available.

Financial Assistance: 319 Grants 

Maryland uses federal grants made available by the Federal Clean Water Act Section 319(h) to help fund for State nonpoint source management and to provide grants for nonpoint source control by State and local projects that help eliminate water quality impairments  caused by nonpoint sources.  More information is available on MDE’s 319(h) Grant Program web page. A 319 Grant may be used to leverage other fund sources including Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Trust Fund (leaving MDE Site) or other existing capital programs financed through the Water Quality Finance Program.

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