Best Management Practices
Simple Suggestions to Help You Protect Our Groundwater
Where does pollution come from? It could come from any of us. The nation’s biggest water-quality challenge today is nonpoint-source (NPS) pollution, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
NPS pollution cannot be traced back to a single, identifiable source. It includes agricultural chemicals that leach from run-off from fields, motor oil from urban streets, and sediment from erosion of unprotected land. NPS pollutants move into waterways via precipitation or irrigation.
What Can We Do?
The key to preventing NPS pollution lies with each of us — farmers, city dwellers, automobile owners, construction contractors, and others. We can choose to use Best Management Practices (BMPs) when we undertake activities that might cause NPS pollution, such as applying ag chemicals. BMPs are methods that have been shown to keep potential pollutants from reaching waterways. As a bonus, they sometimes save time and money.
Best Management Practices for the Farm:
- Fertilizer Rate and Expected Yield
- Nitrogen Credits for Soil and Water
- Nitrogen Credits for Manure and Legume Crops