nonpoint

[ non-point ]

adjective

1. of or relating to a source of pollution that is not readily and specifically identifiable, as water runoff.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nonpoint¹

non- + point

Example Sentences

Livestock manure and crop fertilizer are major causes of nonpoint source pollution from agriculture.

From Science Daily

Nonpoint sources of pollution include everything else like runoff from timber harvests, septic systems, roads, lawns, parking lots and vessel pollution.

From Seattle Times

Congress also must finally confront a long-standing issue: the CWA addresses point sources of pollution, such as factories and sewage systems, but it does not sufficiently tackle pollution from nonpoint sources—the chemicals from parking lots, roadways, fields and lawns that can be washed into waterways by rain or snowmelt.

From Scientific American

Congress must take stronger action to rein in this pollution, whether by amending the CWA beyond a largely voluntary measure exempting agricultural runoff or through other legislation that targets nonpoint sources.

From Scientific American

Such a program would cut through jurisdictional issues and “offer us a chance to fund projects and programs that address these ‘nonpoint’ sources of pollution and restore lost habitat to improve water quality, among other benefits,” Dorothy says.

From Scientific American