Wyoming Nonpoint Source Program: Section 205(J) Grant

The Wyoming Nonpoint Source Program, part of the WDEQ, aims to enhance water quality through voluntary pollution reduction efforts. It provides $40,000-$80,000 annually via Section 205(J) grants to local agencies for planning and assessment projects, prioritizing efforts in watersheds affected by impaired waterbodies. This initiative encourages collaboration among landowners and various government entities to effectively tackle nonpoint source pollution, which is challenging to identify and manage.

As part of the Watershed Protection Program of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ), Water Quality Division (WQD), the Wyoming Nonpoint Source Program works through voluntary and incentive methods to preserve and restore the quality of Wyoming’s surface and ground water resources.
To do this, the Nonpoint Source Program relies on voluntary implementation of nonpoint source pollution reduction projects by individual landowners, local groups, and other state, local, and federal government agencies in a cooperative effort to address water quality improvements on a watershed scale.
Nonpoint source pollution is caused by surface water runoff that is diffuse in nature and often widespread, making it difficult to assess the source of the problem. It is different from point source pollution, which can be traced back to a single defined source.
The WDEQ provides approximately $40,000-$80,000 each year, through the Section 205(j) grant, to local planning agencies (i.e., cities, towns, counties, and conservation districts) for water quality management planning and assessment activities that will reduce and prevent nonpoint source pollution. The WDEQ and the Nonpoint Source Task Force prioritize 205(j) funds for water quality management planning and assessment projects that focus efforts on watersheds in Wyoming with impaired waterbodies.