Some pollution comes from an obvious place, such as a pipe at a factory--yeah, baby! This is called “point source pollution.” The pollution comes from one point, such as a pipe spewing dirty water.
Other pollution, such as eroding soil or stormwater pollution, is much sneakier. In fact, it’s as sneaky as a secret agent like Austin Powers--without the wild clothes.
Eroding soil and stormwater pollution usually come from many, many spots on the land--not just one point. All of these little bits of pollution are hard to spot. But they add up to a BIG problem.
Because this type of pollution comes from many points on the land, it’s called “nonpoint source pollution.”
Oh behave!
Soil erodes on many different spots on a field. That’s why it is called “nonpoint source pollution.” The pollution doesn’t come from just one point.
Photo: USDA NRCS