Please select from the following topics on this page or scroll to one that interests you:
Not only do pesticide applicator certification and subsequent training give you recent updates to pesticide regulations dealing with the environment, they are required for anybody wishing to apply restricted use pesticides. Obtaining the proper training and knowing where to find environmental considerations on a pesticide label are the first steps in ensuring that pesticide usage does not affect nontarget organisms or our water supplies. Please refer to the Certification and Training page for more information on these requirements.
To assist the Department of Agriculture, other agencies, and especially pesticide users in identifying areas sensitive to ground water contamination, county Pesticides and Groundwater Guides were developed by the Conservation and Survey Division of the University of Nebraska. These guides are intended to provide the user with general soil and ground water characteristics that, when evaluated along with pesticide properties, can assist in selecting pesticides which will lessen the chances of leaching. These guides are available by contacting the Department at (402) 471-2394; e-mail or your local Cooperative Extension Educator. Most of these guides are also available for viewing at UNL's School of Natural Resources.
Pesticide users are advised to consult publications by the University and others in adopting Best Management Practices (BMPs) for reducing the amount of pesticides reaching our water resources. UNL Extension, NRCS, and NDA have developed Recommended Atrazine BMPs for Surface Water Quality to guide landowners and pesticide applicators in selecting the best BMPs for their situation. Visit Nebraska Cooperative Extension Publications and click on the Pesticides and Water Quality icons to search for publications covering pesticide safety, storage and disposal, equipment calibration, and other pesticide BMPs; many of which are available online. Another resource is the Core 4 information available from the Conservation Technology Information Center. The University of Illinois has two online publications that compile many of the options producers can consider in their farm management. Please see An Award-Winning Series. Better yet, contact the closest representative of your local Natural Resources District , USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, or Cooperative Extension Service.
Producers are encouraged to adopt filter strips and riparian forest buffer strips as part of a resource management plan on their property. To learn more about NDA's Nebraska Buffer Strip Program, as well as find many links pertaining to conservation buffers, click here.
Another important BMP in Nebraska is irrigation water management, which is defined by the NRCS as the process of determining and controlling the volume, frequency, and application rate of irrigation water in a planned, efficient manner. When irrigation is applied by accounting for the needs of the crop, the soil types present, and natural precipitation, the potential for losing fertilizers and pesticides, by either leaching or excess runoff, is reduced. The University of Nebraska has an interactive irrigation management program called Managing Irrigation and Nitrogen to Protect Water Quality which guides producers through the steps of balancing the need for maximizing production and protecting the environment.
Soils are much more than simply a medium in which crops are grown. Soils are now viewed as having specific functions such as regulating water runoff and infiltration, degrading potential environmental pollutants, cycling important nutrients, and sustaining plant life. Many of these functions help play a role in mitigating or reducing impacts from agriculture, including pesticides. Whether a soil functions properly is dependent on its quality. While many soil characteristics are inherent (can't be changed easily), others, such as soil organic matter, soil structure, water and nutrient holding capacity, can be managed to improve soil quality and function. Click here to learn more about Soils, Soil Quality, and Soil Biology.
Another tool that may be helpful to Nebraska producers is the WeedSOFT package developed by the University of Nebraska. The intent of this software is to allow producers to consider soil, ground water, and pesticide characteristics, along with yield expectations in selecting a weed management option. More specific details and purchasing information can be obtained at the University of Nebraska's Agronomy Department web site.
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service also has a Pesticide Screening Tool, which gives a soil, pesticide, and soil-pesticide interaction ranking for leaching and runoff potential. These rankings are available for all U.S. soils and the pesticide information is updated periodically for new compounds. More specific information as well as directions on how to download this free software can be found at: Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Water and Climate Center.
Individuals curious about the condition of Nebraska's ground water can access the Agrichemical Contaminant Database at the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources web site. This is a searchable database containing ground water analyses of nitrates and pesticides. The user can search by location and type of well, the substance being analyzed, as well as the depth and date of the sample.
Additional information about specific water quality studies or
programs can be found at:
U.S. Geological Survey:
Nebraska Natural Resources Districts (NRDs):
Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.
Go to the 'Programs' or 'Publications' pages.
University of Nebraska's Water Center
Nebraska Department of Agriculture:Nebraska (includes links to the Central Nebraska NAWQA study) Pesticides in the Nation's Streams and Ground Water, 1992-2001
Ground
Water Vulnerability Assessment & Pesticides in Ground Water Summary 2000 Summary of
Water Quality Monitoring for Isoxaflutole in Nebraska
2001 Summary of
Water Quality Monitoring for Isoxaflutole in Nebraska
Summary of Water Quality Monitoring for Isoxaflutole in Nebraska 1999-2002
Drinking water well owners wanting to ensure their water supply does not become contaminated should check out the Nebraska Farm*A*Syst Program offered by the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension. This program provides a series of worksheets that you complete to determine potential risk to water quality. The risk information along with the accompanying fact sheets will enable you to begin to determine actions to protect water quality. Users can select from the following topics, depending on their particular situation: Site Evaluation Vulnerability, Drinking Water Well Condition, Pesticide Storage & Handling, Fertilizer Storage & Handling, Petroleum Products Storage, Hazardous Materials & Waste Management, Household Wastewater Treatment, Livestock Manure Storage, Livestock Yards Management, Land Application of Livestock Manure, Silage Storage, Milking Center Effluent Treatment, Irrigation Wellhead Protection, Crop Pest Management Practices, and Crop Nutrient Application Management. Factsheets and worksheets from the Farm*A*Syst program are available from Nebraska Cooperative Extension Publications.
Communities concerned about the potential for getting contaminated drinking water, regardless of the cause, should check out the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality's (NDEQ) Wellhead Protection Program. It is a voluntary program which assists communities and other public water suppliers in preventing contamination of their water supplies. Go to the Wellhead Protection Program web site by going to "NDEQ Programs" and then "Ground Water Programs". Many guidance documents and newsletter articles are found here.
Do you have or use fertilizer storage containers larger than 500 gallons?
Do you have or use pesticide containers larger than 55 gallons?
Do you apply pesticide or fertilizer solutions for hire?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be subject to the secondary containment
regulations in Title 198 - Rules and Regulations Pertaining to Agricultural Chemical
Containment, which require you to have secondary containment (diking) and load-out facilities
(load or rinse pad). These regulations are administered by NDEQ. More info can be found at NDEQ's web site by going to 'NDEQ Programs' and
scrolling to 'Agriculture Programs'. Please also see this brochure
Quick Info for Complying with Nebraska Secondary Containment Regulations for more
information on this program.
Files in PDF format can be viewed with Adobe Acrobat
Reader.
To hear the audio messages on the NUFACTS page, you will need RealPlayer, available here.
Ag Container Recycling Council. A
non-profit organization that promotes and supports collection and recycling of HDPE crop
protection product containers.
American
Crop Protection Association's Stewardship Page
American Society of Agronomy's Certified Crop
Adviser. For any adviser/consultant that spends the majority of his/her time advising
growers on agronomic practices and can meet the standards of the program. Best Nonpoint Source Documents,
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, January 2001
Clean Water Act and TMDL's;
National Corn Growers Association
Environmental Principles for Golf
Courses in the United States (Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, and
others).
EPA Consumer Confidence Reports.
Water quality reports required of public water suppliers. Reports for Lincoln and Omaha are available on-line.
EPA Fact Sheets on Contaminants in
Drinking Water.
EPA
National Agriculture Compliance Assistance Center. The "first stop" for people in the
agricultural community who need information on compliance with environmental regulations,
this site offers comprehensive, easy-to-understand information about approaches to compliance
that are both environmentally protective and agriculturally sound.
EPA
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit Program. For point sources of
pollutants (required of industrial, municipal, and some agricultural facilities if their discharges go
directly to surface waters). This page is divided by target audience and by program to allow easy
access to information about these regulations.
EPA Office of Water, Drinking
Water Regulations and Health Advisories. Provides information on national drinking water
quality standards and regulations.
EPA River Corridor and Wetland
Restoration
EPA Watershed
Academy. Contains publications, a listing of training sites and schedules, as well as on-line
distance learning modules for such topics as watershed management and protection, water
quality, and wetlands, among others.
The
Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable.
Contains reports evaluating the cost and performance of remediation technologies for
contaminated soil and groundwater at hazardous waste sites, including those involving
pesticides.
Golf Courses and BMPs: research results
from Kansas
The Groundwater Foundation is a nonprofit organization
that is dedicated to informing the public about one of our greatest hidden resources, groundwater.
The Lower Platte River Corridor Alliance is a consortium of
three natural resources districts and seven state agencies in Nebraska joined together in an effort
to address natural resources management issues in the Lower Platte River Corridor area. The National Drinking Water
Clearinghouse. Develops and maintains services and information related to small
community drinking water systems.
National
Pesticide Stewardship Alliance
NDA Registered Pesticides
Database. Allows searches by any of several options, including active ingredient, common
name, product name, pest, and site. Links to EPA's Pesticide Product Label System are provided
for viewing the label of the products selected.
NDA Waste Pesticide
Collection Program
Nebraska
Agri-Business Association
Nebraska Chapter of the Soil & Water
Conservation Society
Nebraska Envirothon. Exciting regional, state,
and national competitions for high school students dealing with natural resources and
conservation issues.
Nebraska
Pesticide and Noxious Weed Newsletter
Nonpoint Source News Notes. An
occasional bulletin dealing with the condition of the water-related environment and the control of
nonpoint sources of water pollution.
NRCS Stream Corridor
Restoration
Pesticides and Water Quality;
Principles, Policies, and Programs. A good overview of pesticide fate and transport, how
pesticides are evaluated during the registration process, and the development of state/federal
policy because of this information. State
Environmental Laws Affecting Agriculture. A resource guide for each state explaining
federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations affecting agriculture production. Status, Trends, and Initiatives in Watershed
Management. Explores the successes of
selected case studies and evaluates programs and partnerships which are representative of larger
national efforts.
USDA Food and
Agricultural Policy "Taking Stock for the New Century" (Sept. 2001) USDA Water Quality Information
Center. Using this database you can locate several hundred electronic publications that are
freely available on the Web. This page also contains links to the AGRICOLA (AGRICultural
OnLine Access) and AgNIC (Agriculture Network Information Center) databases, which contain
thousands of entries pertaining to agriculture.
U.S. Geological Survey's Water Science for
Schools. Water facts, quizzes, and activities.
U.S. Golf Association's
Environmental Education Program
