Farmers are committed to natural resource protection because their livelihoods depend on it. One area where farmers have been particularly active is in the “nonpoint source” water pollution area.
Nonpoint source pollutants are those that come from places other than a single source such as a discharge pipe. Managing these pollutants is the goal in projects Dr. William “Rockie” English currently oversees. English, a forestry professor at Clemson University, heads Farm*A*Syst, a partnership between government agencies and private businesses. The program enables farmers to make their own assessments of potential health threats on their farms by using step-by-step fact sheets on issues such as quality of well water, new wells and abandoned wells; livestock waste storage; storage and handling of petroleum products; managing hazardous wastes, and nutrient management.
Funded with a federal grant available from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control through Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, a project implemented on Pickens, Abbeville and York county farms demonstrates how farmers are using best management practices to keep their cattle out of nearby streams and ponds. When the cattle are excluded and alternative watering sources are provided, erosion is reduced, bacteria from the animal waste is limited, and nutrient enrichment that can lead to algae blooms is decreased.
In the Abbeville County component, farmer Glen Brooks’ Double B Ranch cattle are crossing waterways on embedded stone walkways to avoid stirring up sediment that could wash downstream and cover up aquatic habitat. He also has installed new wells and a system of hosing that provides water to moveable troughs so the animals will not erode stationary watering areas and stay out of creeks.
In the York County component, a goal is to develop a solar pump to deliver groundwater to cattle as an alternative to having them drink from and potentially contaminate waterways with bacteria.
In one previously funded Section 319 project in the Catawba River watershed, the target was to reduce soil runoff into the river. The source, cattle movement along the banks that caused erosion, was halted by fencing that funneled cattle onto a geotextile and gravel “ramp” that allowed the river bank to stabilize.
In another previously funded project, the Newberry Soil and Water Conservation District purchased a lagoon pump-out and traveling gun irrigation system to land-apply wet wastes on nonconsumable crops and pasturelands. Farmers can rent the equipment for a minimal price. When the project ended in 1996, 94,000 tons of soil had been saved and 75,000 tons of animal waste had being properly used.
“These projects being implemented by South Carolina farmers have a significant impact on reducing the contaminant sources that are causing erosion and nutrient imbalances in our rivers and streams,” English said.
Similar to Farm*A*Syst, Home*A*Syst and Coast*A*Syst can help homeowners protect surface and ground water quality by evaluating conditions and activities around the home. You can find South Carolina Home*A*Syst on the web at http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/waterquality/HOMASYS.HTM or by calling Rex Blanton at (864) 656-6580 or e-mail at rexb@clemson.edu. For more information on Farm*A*Syst, contact Rockie English at (864) 656-4861. Coastal homeowners can take advantage of Coast*A*Syst by calling Cal Sawyer, Coastal Environmental Quality Specialist, at (843) 722-5940 or at calvins@clemson.edu