Nonpoint Source Planning
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The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Division of Water Resources (DWR) is soliciting proposals for the Fiscal Year 2026 Clean Water Act Section 319(h) Grant through midnight on May 29, 2026. Eligible projects must implement a DWR‑approved watershed restoration plan to improve waters impaired by nonpoint source (NPS) pollution. Eligible applicants include state and local governments, interstate agencies, public and private nonprofit organizations (including academic institutions), and Tribal entities with a current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency‑approved Tribal NPS management program plan.
Nonpoint source pollution, or polluted runoff, occurs when water picks up pollutants from surfaces like rooftops, roads, constructions sites, and farms, then carries them into groundwater, lakes, rivers, and estuaries. This pollution, which can include sediments, nutrients, and metals, is the leading cause of water quality degradation in North Carolina and nationwide, affecting waters used for fishing, swimming, and drinking.
The Nonpoint Source Planning Branch manages the state’s pollution control efforts in two main ways. First, it leads the development and oversight of nutrient strategies to restore key waters like the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse Estuaries and Falls and Jordan Lakes. Second, it oversees federal grants supporting planning and restoration projects: the 319(h) Nonpoint Source Grant and 205(j) Watershed Planning Grant.
In addition to these direct efforts, 319-funded and other staff across various state agencies work together to carry out USEPA’s charge for states to manage nonpoint source pollution in a planned and coordinated manner. This approach is outlined in North Carolina’s Nonpoint Source Management Plan (2018).
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