IN.gov - Skip Navigation

Note: This message is displayed if (1) your browser is not standards-compliant or (2) you have you disabled CSS. Read our Policies for more information.


Subscribe for e-mail updates
Print This Page Rate This Page Suggest a Link E-mail This Page HELP Find a Person Find an Agency

IDEM > Your Environment > Watersheds > Watershed Planning Watershed Planning

NEW! - Headwater Forum Information

The Nonpoint Source (NPS) Program in the NPS/TMDL Section administers the Clean Water Act Section 319 and 205(j) grant programs which provide federal funding for watershed planning, water quality management planning, and nonpoint source pollution assessment, prevention, education, and restoration. In addition, the NPS/TMDL Section promotes watershed management through education, information sharing, and technical assistance.

Nonpoint Source and Watershed Management Information:

  • Nonpoint source (NPS) water pollution is so named because the pollutants do not originate at single point sources, such as industrial and municipal waste discharge pipes. Instead, NPS pollutants are carried over fields, lawns, and streets by rainwater or snowmelt. This runoff may carry with it such things as fertilizer, road salt, sediment, motor oil, or pesticides. These pollutants enter lakes and streams or seep into groundwater. While some NPS pollution is naturally occurring, most of it is a result of human activities.
  • Reducing NPS pollution requires careful attention to land use management. The state's NPS Program focuses on the prevention of NPS water pollution. The program also provides for assessment, education, and outreach.
  • Indiana's NPS Program relies on the communication and coordination of many programs at the federal, state, and local level. These partners and programs are described in both the Nonpoint Source Pollution Management Plan and the Nonpoint Source Annual Report.

For more information on this program and other water quality-related programs administered by the IDEM, please contact:

Watershed Management Section: (317) 233-2481, info at idem.in.gov

Or write to:

Indiana Department of Environmental Management,
Office of Water Quality, NPS/TMDL Section,
100 North Senate Avenue, MC 65-44 IGCN 1255,
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-2251.

Additionally, the Nonpoint Source Program has started a new listserv that will provide updates and information to subscribers on program activities, such as the grant solicitations, as well as general information that we circulate about nonpoint source and watershed management issues.

Grant Programs