Search this site:

Table 4--Leading sources of impairment of rivers and streams in Southern States from 1988 to 1998

Source of impairmenta	AL	AR	FL	GA	KY	LA	MS	NC	OK	SC	TN	TX	VA
	-----------------------------Annual average impaired milesb,c-------------------------------
Point sources
Municipal	642	318	575	468	1,149	3,335	1,076	296	0	974	1,994	1,522	211
Storm sewers/runoffd	260	48	1,775	1,162	599	1,880	605	898	513	1,251	1,995	375	472
Industrial	321	184	476	99	217	2,432	952	496	21	804	1,023	1,078	143
Land disposald	87	41	1,364	2	731	1,847	340	260	515	158	270	78	53
Total	1,310	591	4,190	1,731	2,696	9,494	2,973	1,950	1,049	3,186	5,282	3,054	879
Nonpointsources
Agriculture	969	2,662	2,033	24	1,447	3,816	19,408	4,647	4,000	1,540	4,874	428	1,106
Hydrologic/habitat Modification	288	28	1,244	44	186	2,022	488	349	1,339	98	3,640	27	36
Resource extraction	459	248	688	7	1,107	1,875	503	114	1,126	29	1,269	0	221
Channelization	0	0	0	0	59	605	157	0	407	0	3,514	8	0
Construction	123	40	1,372	0	37	691	65	572	179	96	1,178	0	0
Silviculture	166	185	563	2	78	984	1,459	206	120	193	188	0	278
Natural	70	0	0	271	2	691	994	0	62	172	376	331	281
Total	2,075	3,162	5,901	348	2,915	10,683	23,074	5,888	7,233	2,129	15,038	793	1,922

^a Table does not include all sources of impairment for all years, only major sources; impaired miles can be affected by multiple sources.

^b An impaired river mile is a river mile that is classified as partially supporting overall use or not supporting overall use.

^c Annual average impaired miles from 1988 to 1998 is defined as the total impaired miles for each source divided by the number of National 305(b) Reports during this time (6); for example, in Alabama, municipal sources contributed anually, on average, to the impairment of 642 river miles from 1988 to 1998.

^d Storm sewers/runoff and land disposal include both point and nonpoint sources.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998a, 2000a

Return to first reference in text

Return to second reference in text