This page contains PDF documents that require Acrobat Reader for viewing. Nonpoint pollution occurs when soil particles, plant nutrients, bacteria or chemicals are washed off the land and into waterways. Nonpoint pollution is also known as polluted runoff.
Nonpoint pollution comes from many different land uses over large areas.
Decades of regulation have vastly reduced point source pollution. Nonpoint sources, combined, are now the largest source of pollution in this country. The Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Program is designed to reduce nonpoint pollution in the Lake Superior Basin. Numerous partners are involved in this effort, including state, federal, tribal and local governments, agencies, and citizens. The Coastal Nonpoint Program Document summarizes Minnesota's existing nonpoint pollution programs and policies.