A2O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 19, 1992 It’s Time To Consider A Groundwater Management Plan Last of a series Editor’s note: In the second part of the water quality series, Lancaster Farming pinpointed potential causes of groundwater pollution. Also, proper wellhead construction and maintenance strategies were outlined in order for farms to maintain water quality. The quality of life on the farm can be threatened by the quality of the water supply. The (Inal installment of the series shows how farmers can utilize various management practices to ensure groundwater quality for their farm. ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Farming Staff Groundwater flows among municipalities. Virginia Thompson, EPA FAYETTEVILLE (Franklin Co.) Evan Burkholder knew he had a problem. A manure storage pad could only hold so jnuch on the farm. When it rained, manure washed away directly into a nearby stream. The contaminated water flowed down in heavy rains to streams which eventually flowed into the Chesapeake Bay. Burkholder feared possible DER fines. He didn’t want to be forced from farming. But the huge farm debts after his father’s para lyzing stroke kept him from fixing the problems. But he sought help, through the conservation district and from many other sources, and got it. Unfortunately, an old manure pad was only 35 feet away from a 60-foot well. The well, abandoned and sealed, sunk 10 percent, according to Burkholder, and water from the pad washed into and contaminated the well. With help from the Soil Conser vation Service, and under specifi cations, the well was resealed with clay and banked to prevent contamination. In the past, farmers may have located their manure storage area too close to a well. If there arc problems with the structure or the site, what happens to the wfjll? How many farms, like Burkhol der, face a similar situation? How many, like Calvin Zerbe, in Bemville (profiled in part 1 of the series), have had water, conta- Conference Rights, Law Set LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) Water availability probably will be the next major environ mental issue facing agriculture. Total water use has grown rapidly in the recent decades, while the supply of available water remains the same. In light of this, agricultural water users are encouraged to attend a meeting on water law, water rights, and irrigation man agement, scheduled on January 4, in the auditorium of the Farm and Home Center, Lancaster, from 8:30 a.m. untd noon. The agenda for the meeting will be as follows: 8:30-9:00 Registration, Coffee, Doughnuts 9:00-9:05 Current Rainfall Data-Lcon Ressler 9:05-9:30 Designing an Irriga tion System to Meet Your Needs- Dr. Herb Brodie, University of Maryland Extension Ag Engineer minated by nitrates, washing into their farm or family well? Contamination potential The potential exists, on many older farms with hand-dug wells or shallow water sources, for nitrates to contaminate them. And if so, many of those farm families that drink the water could be in serious danger. Infants that drink the contami nated water could face a serious and life-threatening problem called methemoglobinemia. The poisoning also affects young ani mals and ruminants, in much the same ways. But what about the long-term effects? A nitrate bulletin published by Sierra Chemical Company in Janu ary 1989 said that “the effect of (the condition) on these animals can be fatal and can cause abor tions, birth defects, and generally poor health. Long-term health effects of nitrates have not been proven.” However, the document indi cates that “because of suspected links to cancer, birth defects, and nervous system damage, nitrates arc currently the subject of various research studies.” Major concern James S. Shortle and Wesley N. Musser, Penn State researchers, write that “ground and water pollu tion by agricultural activities has become a major environmental policy concern throughout the United State and other countries, as well as in Pennsylvania,” in their report in the Sept./Oct. 1992 “Farm Economics” newsletter. The key to controlling groundwa ter pollution lies in controlling nutrient applications through farm nutrient management plans, according to the researchers. In the near future, Pennsylvania will have a nutrient management law, which will provide steps in the right direction. But a total water quality package not only requires the management of nutri ents effectively, but a plan to man age groundwater itself. It’s time for a water resource management plan. Follow steps The Alliance For a Clean Rural Environment (ACRE), an organi zation founded to encourage envir onmental stewardship and protect On Water 9:30-10:00 Managing Your Irrigation System-Dr. A 1 Jarret Penn State Extension Ag Engineer 10:00-10:30 Consumptive Water Use In Agriculture-Dr. A 1 Jarret 10:30-11:00 The History and Current Role of The Susquehanna River Basin Commission in Regu lating Water Use- Dave Heicher, Program Specialist, SRBC 11:00-11:30 The Department of Environmental Resources’s prop osed Slate Water Management Plan, Tom Fiddler, Assistant to the Deputy Secretary for Field Operations, DER 11:30-12:00 Water Manage ment Policy in Maryland-Dr. Herb Brodie Irrigation dealers will have exhibits'at the meeting. To register contact Leon Ressler at (717) 394-6851 by December'29. There will be no registration fee for the meeting. education conference in New Holland, Virginia Thompson, chief of the groundwater pro tection section of ERA Reg ion 111, said that “groundwater flows among municipalities.” water quality, outlines methods to achieve water best management practices in their booklet, “Water Quality Protection: Frank Answers To the 20 Most Frequent ly Asked Questions.” Fact Sheet Number 20 shows how to protect rural wells from contamination through the following steps: 1. Locate wells properly. Your wellhead should be on the highest ground possible, above the flood level of any nearby stream and away from your septic system, bar nyard or feed lot, fuel storage tanks and ag chemical transfer or mixing/loading areas. 2. Inspect wells, especially at the casing. Ask your well driller for information about the casing in your well their original records will prove useful and important. To prevent surface water run-in, the casing and locking cap should extend at least a foot above ground level to keep surface water away from the well. Inspect your well for signs of cracking of die casing or the grout which seals the space between the well casing and the borehole walls of the well. 3. Maintain chemigation equip ment installed on your well to pre vent backsiphoning or direct injec tion of ag chemicals into water sources. Inspect check valves regularly. 4. Store ag chemicals away from your well. Avoid the chance for accidents and spills by keeping chemicals in a secure, weather proof location, 100 feet or more away from your wellhead. Do not store any chemicals near aban doned wells and check to make sure abandoned wells are properly sealed. 5. Mis and load spray equip ment as far away from wellheads as possible and watch to prevent tank overflow. 6. Rinse spray equipment as far from wellheads as possible and on ground that is lower than the well head. (Editor’s note: Many experts believe it is better to dispose the chemical on the field it was origi nally app’lied on.) 7. Dispose of empty containers away from wells. Never use an abandoned well or a sinkhole for a trash dump. An improperly aban doned well can spell real problems. To obtain additional informa tion about wellhead protection and maintenance, contact ACRE at Suite 900, 1155 15th St.. N.W., Washington, DC 20005, (202) 872-3863, Evan Burkholder measures the depth of his newly Installed 300,000-gallon liquid manure storage facility. A well-constructed, well-maintained storage structure helps toward Improving the water quality on the farm. More than fence Probably one of the most impor tant considerations of all is not simply to think of the area direcdy around the wellhead as the most important. Protecting groundwater is more than putting a fence around the and groundwater does not understand political boundaries. At a recent groundwater educa tion conference in New Holland, Virginia Thompson, chief of the groundwater protection section of EPA Region 111, said that “ground water flows among municipali ties,” and that, for any groundwa ter quality program to work, “per severance and the spirit of cooper ation are required.” Groundwater rights in this reg ion need to be reconsidered, according to Charles Abdalla, associate professor of ag econom ics at Penn State. “Landowners may draw water from beneath their land for beneficial uses on that Get Your Well Water Tested WASHINGTON, D.C. There are nfany possible sources of well contamination, including improperly abandoned wejjs, sink holes, underground storage tanks, septic systems —a farmer wanting to assess the source of contamina tion needs to consider all those factors. The Alliance For a Clean Rural Environment (ACRE), based in Washington, D.C., says that if you are one of the 10.5 million rural households with a private well, you are responsible for testing and maintaining your drinking water quality. In ACRE’S Fact Sheet 19, “Testing Well Water For Contami nation,” the organization says that most county health departments can help you with routine water land regardless of the consequ ences to neighbors,” said Abdalla. “The landowner with the deepest well or most powerful pump wins. Control over water management should be shared among all users. Those concerned about water issues must recognize this political reality.” “One of the primary objectives is to get people to think beyond political boundaries and to think in terms of watershed areas when you think about enacting policy to pro tect our water,” said Leon Ressler, Lancaster County Extension envir onmental specialist. “Groundwa ter problems are watershed-wide and region-wide. The political boundaries that are in the middle have no significance from a groundwater standpoint. “If we approach the problem with an open mind,” he said, “and a willingness to tackle the problem, I think we can make some major strides.” testing of common contaminants, such as coliform bacteria, nitrates, pH, and total dissolved solids. “Testing for the first two items is very important, for their presence can lead to health concerns,” according to ACRE. If your county health depart ment can’t test your water them- selves, they can tell you how to collect samples for testing by your state board of health or private labs. The price from most labor atories averages $25-$5O. Contact your local extension office, local EPA office, or simply look in the phone book yellow pages under “Laboratories-Testing.” For more information, contact ACRE. Suite 900, 1155 15th St.. N.W., Washington. DC 20005, (202) 872-3863.
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