Pesticides play an important role in agriculture and in maintaining our homes, lawns, and gardens. Unfortunately, pesticides are showing up where they’re not wanted — in our drinking water and our surface waters. If pesticides are not handled carefully, they can seep through the ground after a leak or spill, directly enter a well during mixing and loading, or drain to a stream or lake

Mesner, Nancy

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DigitalCommons@USU

This survey asks a series of questions dealing withcommon risks from pesticides to water quality. Thesurvey is divided into different sections to help youidentify the specific practices or conditions on yourfarmstead or acreage that should be addressed toreduce risk of water contamination.The results of this survey are intended to providegeneral information and recommendations regardingpractices and potential risks to water quality. Keepthis survey as your private record and use it as a guideto taking action to reduce these risks.U t a h  F a r m s t e a d  A s s e s s m e n t  f o r  G r o u n d  W a t e r  a n d  S u r f a c e  W a t e r  P r o t e c t i o n  LANDOWNER’S SURVEY:WHAT’S THE RISK TO YOUR WATERFROM PESTICIDES? Revised March 2012Pesticides play an important role in agriculture and in maintaining our homes,lawns, and gardens. Unfortunately, pesticides are showing up where they’re notwanted — in our drinking water and our surface waters. If pesticides are not handledcarefully, they can seep through the ground after a leak or spill, directly enter a wellduring mixing and loading, or drain to a stream or lake.If pesticides enter a water supply in large quantities they can cause immediate andsevere health problems. A more common and less apparent threat comes from    pes-ticides that enter water supplies in small quantities. This type of contaminationoften occurs slowly due to handling practices that allow small amounts of pesticidesto be spilled repeatedly. Repeated pesticide exposure can pose serious health risks tohumans, livestock, and wildlife. Unfortunately, once pesticides are in the water supply, removing them isexpensive and at times impossible. The easiest way to avoid health issues and legal problems associated withpesticide contaminated water is to take appropriate precautions to avoid contamination.See Glossary in Fact Sheet #6 for clarif ication of terms in this survey.HOW TO USE THIS SURVEYSurvey 2I N S I D E :USING THIS SURVEYTAKE THE SURVEYASSESSING YOUR RISKINTERPRETING YOURRISKFor each question circle the answer that best describes your situation. At the end of each section add togetherthe numbers that correspond to each answer. When you have completed the survey, add together the sectiontotals for the total risk assessment score.Mixing and Loading Practices1.  Where do you get the water that you mix with pesticide?a water tank (1)directly from well (3)2.  What is the minimum distance between any pesticidemixing or loading area and a well or surface water?greater than 100 feet (1)between 20 and 100 feet (2)less than 20 feet (3)3.  Are all pesticide mixing/loading areas downslope fromexisting wells?Yes (1)No (3)4.  What precautions do you take to prevent back-siphoning?permanent air gap (3)water tank separate from well (3)anti-backflow devices (2)none of the above (1)5.  Have you ever dropped a water supply hose below thefluid level in a mixing tank?No (1)Yes (3)6.  Is someone present during pesticide mixing/loadingoperations to watch for spills, mishaps and to takecorrective action?present entire time (1)present most of the time (2)start filling, leave and return after set time (3)7.  Have you ever had a spill that you did not clean up?No (1)Yes (3)8.  Are there signs such as dead vegetation that indicatechemical movement away from the mixing/loading area?no signs, vegetation healthy (1)some patches of dead vegetation (2)permanent dead vegetation (3)9.  What is the condition of the mixing/loading area?concrete pad with curbs / no cracks, or sealed cracks (1)concrete pad / no curbs, no cracks (2)no pad, soil or gravel surface (3)Mixing and Loading Practices section total _________10.  Are most of your pesticides stored within 100 feet ofa well?No (1)Yes (3)11. Are most of your pesticides stored within 100 feet of surface water?          No (1)Yes (3)12.  Is your pesticide storage locked to prevent accidentalvalve opening or vandalism?Yes (1)No (3)13.  What type of floor does your pesticide storage have?sealed concrete floor (1)unsealed concrete floor (2)soil or gravel floor (3)StorageSURVEY INSTRUCTIONS214.  Are there inside drains in the pesticide storage area?No (1)Yes, drain has sump (1)Yes, drain runs out back of building (3)Yes, drain runs to city sewer (3)15.  Do you store any canceled or banned pesticides?No (1)Yes, store in its own secondary containment(a can in another can to catch leaks) (1)Yes, not stored in any special manner (3)16.  In case of a fire, is your fire department informed onthe location of your pesticide storage area, and do theyknow it could be better to allow the fire to burn ratherusing water?Yes (1)No (3)Storage section total _________17.  Where do you apply the rinsate from pesticidesprayers?field (1)farmyard, more than 100 feet from well (2)farmyard, less than 100 feet from well (3)18.  Where do you clean pesticide application equipment?field (1)farmyard, more than 100 feet from well (2)farmyard, less than 100 feet from well (3)19.  Do you triple rinse pesticide containers prior todisposal?always (1)sometimes (2)never (3)20.  Where do you dispose of pesticide containers?recycle or take to appropriate landfill (1)farm dump or burn pile on farm (3)Cleanup and Container Disposal section total __________Cleanup and Container Disposal3Other Management(circle Yes or No)Do you store all pesticides in the same area? Yes NoDo you use pesticide containers for other purposes?Yes NoIs the pesticide storage area clean and neat? Yes NoDo you keep a current pesticide inventory onsite?Yes NoAre pesticide containers marked with the purchase date?Yes NoAre materials separated by type (herbicide, insecticide)?Yes NoAre pesticides stored in the original containers? Yes NoAre pesticides stored off the floor and low to ground?Yes NoAre dry formulations stored on pallets? Yes NoAre storage areas free of spills or leaks? Yes NoDo you have a shovel and absorbent materials readilyavailable? Yes NoAre “Keep Out” signs posted? Yes NoIs the storage area well-lit and ventilated? Yes NoIs there pesticide safety equipment in the pesticide storage area? Yes NoTotal number of Yes answers: __________Total number of No answers:  __________If you had all Yes answers, your score is 0. If you hadmore Yes answers than No, your score is 1. If you hadmore No answers than Yes, your score is 3.Other Management section total __________Locate your total risk score on the spectrum above to get a general idea of the risk pesticide are posing towater sources on your farmstead or acreage. Next, compare your risk scores for each section with the ratings (Low, Moderate, and High) for the individualsections to determine the practices where your risk is moderate to high. For these sections go back into the survey and look at the questions for which you marked a low scoringchoice. These are the areas you should address first to reduce risk of water contamination. SURVEY 2 TOTAL SCORETOTAL RISK LEVEL78 156 225Low Moderate HighAdd the following totals: Low Moderate HighMixing and Loading Practices section total _____ x 3 = ______ 81 54 81Storage section total _____ x 3 = ______ 21 42 54Cleanup and Container Disposal section total _____ x 5 = ______ 20 40 60Other Management section total _____ x 10 = ______ 10 20 30SURVEY 2 TOTAL SCORE _____Fol low UpRefer to Fact Sheet # 2-How to Protect Your WaterFrom Pesticide Contamination for  contacts andinformation about pesticide management. Contactyour Utah State University county Extension office,or the Extension web pagehttp://www.extension.usu.edu for more information.Utah State University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution.Extending USU to you.RISK RATINGINTERPRETING YOUR RISK RATING4

How to Protect Your Water From Pesticide Contamination - Homeowner Fact Sheet

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How to Protect Your Water From Pesticide Contamination - Homeowner Fact Sheet

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