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Water Quality Trading Program
Point to Nonpoint Trading
A nonpoint source discharges pollutants from a diffuse area. Nonpoint source pollution enters a water body as runoff from a wide geographic area. Typical examples include polluted runoff from cities, suburbs, and agricultural fields, and air deposition of contaminants.
Point to nonpoint
trading describes when a point source pays for the installation of
nonpoint source pollution controls in a watershed, like buffer strips
along the river, stormwater controls, other best management practices
(BMPs), or wetlands restoration. To account for uncertainties in the effectiveness
of nonpoint source controls, trading ratios greater than 2:1 are typically
used; so that for every pound of pollutant the point source needs to reduce
it must purchase at least 2 pounds of offset.
