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
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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.
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the cooperation the farming com
munity has given the district. “We
realize that it takes time out of a
landowner’s busy schedule to
answer all the questions on the
survey. However, accurate infor
mation on product use and the way
practices are carried out will be
important in order that valid con
clusions can be drawn.”
Personal information collected
in this survey will remain confi
dential. A summary of the results
from the entire survey will be
made available to all persons who
take part in the survey. Any ques
tions concerning this survey can be
directed to Gerald Heistand at
4-H’ers Strawberries
auction.
The 4-H’ers attended a market
ing workshop to help them learn to
sell their produce prior to the
auction.
The following were also pur
chased at the auction:
STRAWBERRY AUCTION
RESULTS & EXHIBITORS
GRAND CHAMPION: Staphan Laoman,
Lancaster, PA (Conattoga Valley Club), har
ries told tor $425.
RESERVE CHAMPION: Joel Leaman
(Conestoga Valley Club), berries told tor
$l2O.
ADDITIONAL EXHIBITORS; Amy Balmer,
Manheim, PA (Elm-Penryn Club); Kendra
Bucher, Manheim, PA (MaitertonvHle Club);
Jill Harmsh, Christiana, PA (Kirkwood Club);
Mark Leaman, Lancaster, PA (Conestoga
Valley Club); Kandi Mullen, Peach Bottom,
PA (SolancoClub); Derek Stoner, Lancaster,
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The United States Geological
Survey, in a related survey, will be
conducting water tests on 200
wells in the area. These water tests
will measure nitrates and pesti
cides. It will cost USGS $340 to
test each well. All cooperating
homeowners will receive a free
copy of the results of their water
tests.
This project is a USDA project
designed to last five years. The
Pequea Mill Creek project is one of
more than 60 water water quality
projects being conducted nation
wide as a part of president Bush’s
water quality initiative.
PA (Conestoga Valley Club); Lisa Stoltztus,
Talmage, PA (Conestoga Valley Club).
EXHIBITORS - PROJECT BOOKS' Ran
dy Ebersole, Lancaster, PA (Conestoga Val
ley Club); Meu-ilyn Holloway, Peach Bottom,
PA (Solanco Club); Melissa Holloway, Peach
Bottom, PA (Solanco Club); Durelle Leeman,
Lancaster, PA (Conestoga Valley Club);
Hans Leaman, Bird-m-Hand, PA (Conestoga
Valley Club); James Mullen, Peach Bottom,
PA (Solanco Club); Heather Umble, Christia
na, PA (Kirkwood Club).
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