AlB-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 8, 1991 USDA Water Quality Project Begins In Lancaster NEW HOLLAND (Lancaster Co.) The Pequea and Mill creeks in Lancaster County are receiving special attention as part of a USDA water quality project. The 135,000-acre watershed includes the towns of Gap, White Horse, Bird-In-Hand, Intercourse, Strasburg, Quarryville, and Pequea. Several agencies are developing initiatives as part of this project to improve the water quality in this area. Penn State Cooperative Extension plans to open an office and have an extension agent to develop educational programs in the areas of nutrient management, integrated pest management, and barnyard runoff. These programs will target the feed, fertilizer, and ag finance industries, as we as farmers. Edu cational programs will include educational tours, demonstrations, meetings, and individual visits. Effective, low-cost methods of controlling barnyard runoff and stream management will be demonstrated on local farms. The feed and fertilizer industries will be closely involved in the program to take advantage of their know ledge of fertilizer and pesticide issues. In addition, programs will also focus on homeowners. Homeow ner issues will deal with well con struction, wellhead maintenance, septic system maintenance, and the use of household and lawn chemicals. The Soil Conservation Service in cooperation with ASCS will ini tially have $400,000 of cost share money to give to farmers to install conservation practices to improve water quality. SCS hopes to focus the money on water management around barnyards. This will include cost sharing for practices such as terraces around buildings, spouting on bam roofs, stream fencing, and concrete curbs around barnyards. To get a handle on the amount of pesticide and fertilizer being used in this area, the Lancaster County Conservation District in coopera tion with the Pennsylvania Depart ment of Agriculture has been con ducting a pesticide/groundwatcr survey in the Pequea and Mill Creek watersheds. More than 100 farmers have already been surveyed with more than 90 percent participation. In order to be statistically valid, farms were selected at random and an interviewer, paid by the district, is sent to each farm to collect infor mation on the use, storage, and dis posal of pesticides, fertilizer, and manure. Currendy, the survey is on hold until farmers get through the busy planting and haymaking time. Later, about 50 more surveys will be taken to complete phase 1, which covers the whole Pequea Mill creek watershed. For phase 2, more detailed information will be collected from smaller wellhead protection areas. Public water supply wells will be chosen and the survey will cover the land areas that contribute to the groundwater recharge of these wells. The Lancaster Conservation District believes that agriculture should not have to take all the responsibility for the protection of groundwater, so they are request ing that urban areas within the wellhead protection area also be surveyed. This survey will include industrial complexes, homeow ners, small businesses, and road departments. Gerald Heistand, who is in charge of collecting the survey information, said, “Most farmers Serving Dealers Hose & Fittings & Belts & Pulleys StM Air Hose SAYLOR BEALL B 3— HDmhhi Air Compressors Industrial IMIWNCTVMNQ CO Air Compressors *Jr*UM§*s _ WASMCMS Deeds * Hydraulic & Air System Installations * New Setups Add-Ons Service Work * Air Compressor Installations & Service * Fully Equipped Service Trucks-Will Travel are concerned about the quality of their groundwater. If we can show through this survey that certain practices are contaminating a far mers well, why wouldn’t a land owner want to take correctiye action? But before anyone sug gests that we change farming, it must be shown that there is a pesti cide problem here, that a particular sector or business is causing it, and which practices are to blame.” He said that “this can only be done by carrying out a complete survey in the well protection area, and by taking sufficient water sam ples to test for pesticides.” Heistand said he is pleased with $425 For LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) Can you imagine? $425 for a quart of strawberries? A quart'} But that’s what Clifford A. Fire stone, president of Firestone Paper and Supply, paid 10-year-old Ste phen Lea man of Lancaster at the Rotary Club’s Strawberry Round up Wednesday. The strawberries were Earli-glo variety. Thirteen-year-old Joel Leaman, cousin to the champion, won reserve champion, which were sold for $l2O to Bob Patter son, president of Lancaster Rehab and Sports Medicine. Bidders paid more than $l,OOO for 17 quarts of strawberries at the 252 N. Shirk Rd. New Holland, PA 17557 We also distribute lots of other products through large volume purchasing. Pumps - Motors - Valves - Accessories OUTSIDE SERVICE DIVISION (Si* HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS & SERVICE BEILER HYDRAULICS WHOLESALE • RETAIL Distributor For: AT\ AMERICAN