A person should not make a decision that might affect his or her legal rights based on this material. Such a decision should only be made after acquiring the advice of an attorney licensed and competent to practice law in the subject area and jurisdiction in question. Updates and modifications will be provided, as they become available. Much of the current debate surrounding regulation of agricultural contributions of pollutants to water centers on whether a specific contribution involves what is known as a point source. That is, in part, because the amount of regulation applied to an agricultural producer under the Act varies depending on whether a point source is present.
Point sources have a number of important regulatory distinctions.
There may be other distinctions. The definition in the Act identifies two basic distinguishing characteristics. A point source is a conveyance. A point source must also have a potential for a discharge of pollutants. The Act goes on to provide examples of point sources.