Non-Point Source Water Pollution in China: Current Status and Future Prospects

Abstract

The pollution impacts of different types of non-point source pollution (NSP) were identified on a large scale in the lower Great Lakes of North America in the 1970s, beginning with the eutrophication crisis in these lakes and subsequently expanding to toxic substances and endocrine disrupting substances. Since then, there has developed a large knowledge base on this subject. Especially in the United States, there is now an extensive legislative and administrative framework for non-point pollution management and control. Recently, China has recognized that non-point source pollution is a major contributing factor to water pollution in many parts of China. There has been recent work in several of the large lakes of China where eutrophication is severe. Elsewhere, factory farms contribute large pollutant loads. There are currently limited legal, administrative, or technical frameworks for evaluating or controlling non-point source pollution in China. As part of the reform of governance in China, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) is examining the need for a legislative and operational framework to ensure that non-point source pollution is adequately evaluated within the larger context of water pollution control measures and to ensure appropriate cost efficiencies in pollution control investments. The overall status and legal framework for non-point source pollution control in China is examined in this paper. Parallels between China of today and North America of the 1970s are instructive for policy makers in China.