ABSTRACT
Dispersed pollution, also known as nonpoint source pollution, comes from a wide variety of sources rather than from a single point source such as a pipe or injection well. As rainwater or snowmelt runs across the surface and percolates through the soil it picks up and carries away natural and man-made contaminants. The list of contaminants and sources is long, but can be categorized into some generalized groupings. Dispersed pollutants may include fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides from agricultural and residential areas; oil, grease, and toxic chemicals from urban and highway runoff; sediment from crop and forest lands and construction sites; salt from irrigation and highway runoff; pathogens and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes, and faulty septic systems; and atmospheric deposition.
