What is the differnce between non point source pollution and point sorce pollution?

Question

What is the differnce between non point source pollution and point sorce pollution?

Answer 1

A point source of pollution is a single identifiable localized source of air, water, thermal, noise or light pollution. A point source has negligible extent, distinguishing it from other pollution source geometries. The sources are called point sources because in mathematical modelling, they can be approximated as a mathematical point to simplify analysis. Pollution point sources are identical to other physics, engineering, optics and chemistry point sources except that their emissions have been labelled as "polluting". Some examples of point-sources of pollution are:

Air pollution from a power plant flue gas stack

Water pollution from an oil refinery wastewater discharge outlet

Noise pollution from a jet engine

Disruptive seismic vibration from a localised seismic study

Light pollution from an intrusive street light

Thermal pollution from an industrial process outfall

Radio emissions from an interference-producing electrical device

Types of air pollution sources which have finite extent are line sources, area sources and volume sources. Air pollution sources are also often categorized as either stationary or mobile.

Nonpoint source pollution (NPS) does not come from a single source like point source pollution. It comes from many unidentifiable sources with no specific solution to rectify the problem, making it difficult to regulate. An example of NPS pollution would be urban runnoff of items like oil, fertilizers, and lawn chemicals. As rainfall or snowmelt moves over and through the ground, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants. These pollutants are eventually deposited into natural bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and underground sources of drinking water.