Nationwide Urban Runoff Program

The Nationwide Urban Runoff Program (NURP) was a research project conducted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) between 1979 and 1983.

[1]: 6–1 Among the conclusions of the report are the following: An interesting finding of the NURP was that street sweeping was considered to be, "ineffective as a technique for improving the quality of urban runoff".

The amendment requires all industrial stormwater dischargers (including many construction sites) and municipal storm sewer systems, affecting virtually all cities and towns in the country, to obtain discharge permits.

[6] Some practitioners may assume that a "NURP pond" design conforms to some particular standard issued by EPA, but in fact EPA has issued no regulations or other requirements regarding the design of stormwater ponds.

(However, some states and municipalities have issued stormwater design manuals, and these publications may include a reference to a "NURP pond".)