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In Allen County roughly 242,500 acres or 53% of land use is agricultural in nature. In this area you often see crops of corn, soybeans and grain. Our society relies on the food produced by agriculture but many agricultural practices can contribute to water pollution. Pollutants such as sediment, pesticides, nutrients and pathogens can be transported by drainage from crop fields.
| Information on fertilizer sales from the Office of the Indiana State Chemist shows that about 40,000 tons of fertilizer are sold annually in Allen County. |  |
Manure from livestock may contribute pathogens and nutrients to ground and surface water. Livestock includes more than 18,000 cattle and 49,000 hogs, according to the 1997 Census of Agriculture. Large livestock operations require a permit from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. No specific statistics are available for pesticide use or runoff in Allen County. Indiana Agricultural Statistics track pesticide use statewide and this information can be considered representative of use in Allen County. In Indiana, the most widely used pesticides are the herbicides atrazine, alachlor and metolachlor. Large-scale studies carried out in Indiana and elsewhere have shown that typically about 1% of applies pesticides end up in lakes or rivers. Water monitoring by the St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative has shown that some herbicides are often detected in the river after spring planting, before returning to low levels for most of the year.
Many farmers are changingtheir practices to protect water resources. Erosion and chemical runoff from fields can often be reduced by using conservation tillage or by No-till methods. In 2000, No-till was used on 11% of the corn acres and 64% of the soybean acres. Many farmers test their soil to ensure that crops receive the amount of that is needed and some have installed grass waterways and buffer strips to protect water quality and provide habitat for wildlife.
The following web sites can help you learn more about agriculture and the pollutants mentioned here.
Address:
ACPWQ
3718 New Vision Drive
Fort Wayne, IN 46845
Phone:
260-484-5848 EXT. 111
email: matt.jones@nacdnet.net
URL: http://www.acwater.org