caring for our water supply

Caring for Our Water Supply

Managing runoffFarming techniques that reduce pollution and build topsoil

Kella Randolph B.S., M.Ed.

How does farming affect the earth?Which farming technique can improve the soil and the environment?

No-till farming improves the soil quality and helps the environment.

This fragile layer of topsoil, together with air and water, supports our life. This layer of life grows our food and fiber. Our soil supports the roads we drive on, the buildings we live in and the recreation areas we enjoy. Our soil cleanses and holds our water, and it absorbs the sun and radiates heat.

http://www.maswcd.org/Youth_Education/StudyGuides/Soils_study_guide.htm

Photo from Creative Commons



Build up the topsoilInstead of turning over the soil, create a layer of mulch and allow earthworms and other soil dwelling creatures to burrow. This aerates the soil and allows it to hold more water for your plants. http://www.maswcd.org/Youth_Education/StudyGuides/Soils_study_guide.htm




What is the best change a farmer can make to use more sustainable farm techniques? Rotate the crops.Planting methods can control much erosion in agriculture. Crop rotation is a planting method whereby farmers alternate crops instead of planting the same crop every year in a given field. Important nutrients are replenished, close-grown crops prevent erosion and plant diseases are controlled through rotation of crops. http://www.maswcd.org/Youth_Education/StudyGuides/Soils_study_guide.htm

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Prevent water pollution by managing farm runoff.

Crop residue management is a key conservation practice for reducing sediment. Planting methods and crop residue management not only control water erosion but also control wind erosion. Windbreaks (rows of trees or shrubs planted at a perpendicular angle to the prevailing winds) also reduce wind erosion and provide wildlife habitat.



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The most common source of pollution in ground water is runoff.• The main types of runoff are • Urban runoff• Industrial runoff• Storm water runoff• Farm runoff• Polluted runoff generally happens anywhere people use or alter the land. For example,

in developed areas, none of the water that falls on hard surfaces like roofs, driveways, parking lots or roads can seep into the ground. These impervious surfaces create large amounts of runoff that picks up pollutants. The runoff flows from gutters and storm drains to streams. Runoff not only pollutes' but erodes streambanks. The mix of pollution and eroded dirt muddies the water and causes problems downstream. http://www.ncstormwater.org/pages/stormwater_faqspage.html#stormrunoff

Prevent polluted water runoff.Urban runoff

Detention ponds, built to temporarily hold water so it seeps away slowly, fill up quickly after a rainstorm and allow solids like sediment and litter to settle at the pond bottom. Then, they release the water slowly. Green roofs, storm drain grates, filter strips, sediment fences and permeable paving can help.

Industrial runoff

Federal and state storm water regulations now require many kinds of industrial facilities to take steps to prevent storm water pollution.1) Prevent water from contacting working areas. 2) Keep pollutants off surfaces that come into contact with water. 3) Manage storm water before it is discharged to the storm drain.

http://www.waterresources.saccounty.net/stormwater/documents/industrial-BMP-manual.pdf

http://www.hgcity.org/comm_dev_docs/building/Industrial%20Facilities%20Runoff%20Pollution%20Prevention%20(BMPs).pdf

Home and farm runoff safetyStorm water runoff

Keep lawns and driveways clean.

Do not dump lawn trash down

storm drains.

Never dump hazardous wastes

such as paint, gasoline, oil, or

chlorinated pool water into storm

drains.

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wat/wq/nps/NPS_Pollution/Stormwater_Runoff/sw_main.htm

Farm runoffSurface water includes ponds, open springs, lakes, rivers, and streams. It has the highest risk for contamination because we often do not have control over what might be entering the water source upstream at any given time. Access of wild and domestic animals, drainage from upstream cattle operations, runoff from manure piles, and sewage discharges are all possible causes for sudden and unexpected surface water contamination.

http://extension.psu.edu/food/safety/farm/gaps/safe-uses-of-agricultural-water

Protect groundwaterWhich is the most common contamination source for freshwater resources?

Runoff is the most common source for freshwater contamination. http://www.maswcd.org/Youth_Education/StudyGuides/Soils_study_guide.htm


How does pollution get around?Wind and moving water can carry all sorts of pollution from one place to another.

Many chemicals are dissolved into water. Then when the water seeps into the ground, those chemicals go right in there with the water. Over time, water seeps down to the water table. Humans have wells that bring water up from the water table. We then drink the water and use it to make our crops grow. We unknowingly spread the toxins in this way. http://www.maswcd.org/Youth_Education/StudyGuides/Soils_study_guide.htm


Of several ways that groundwater collects in an area what is most responsible?The movement of surface water and precipitation that has seeped through soil and rock is most responsible for the quality of local area ground water.

Groundwater definition, the water beneath the surface of the ground, consisting largely of surface water that has seeped down: the source of water in springs and

wells. www.dictionary.com/browse/groundwater

Photo from Wikimedia.com Photo from www.ca.gov660x427

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/groundwater

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/groundwater

What’s it to me?Living things, including us, breathe the air, ingest (eat) plants and meat, drink, bathe and swim in water.When air, water, and food are polluted, then our bodies become polluted too.





Dirty Water...

http://www.childrensprize.org/blog/clean-water-vs-dirty-water-which-one-would-you-choose/

http://dirtywaterintheworld.weebly.com/illness-and-disease.html

-3.575 million people die each year from water-related disease.

-Less than 1% of the world's fresh water (or about 0.007% of all water on earth) is readily accessible for direct human use.

-Over 40 billion work hours are lost each year in Africa to the need to fetch drinking water.

- At any one time, it is estimated that half the world's hospital beds are occupied with patients suffering from waterborne diseases.

-90 percent of wastewater in developing countries is discharged into rivers and streams without any treatment. (UNDP,UNEP,World Bank, and the World Resources Institute.

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