Minnesota Tries Voluntary Program To Protect Water Quality
By Sara Jerome,
@sarmje
To the frustration of many water utilities, farmers often push for voluntary water quality programs as opposed to mandatory ones. So, what do these voluntary programs look like and how effective are they?
Dairy farmer Dave Lochen of Kimball, MN, takes part in such a program.
“Lochen enrolled in a water quality certification program for farmers like him. An expert from the county soil and water conservation district came out and assessed Lochen's farm to see where there might be a risk of water pollution,” MPR News reported.
“Lochen made some changes in how he rotates his crops and applies manure to his fields. He added buffer strips and grass waterways to keep polluted water from getting into the lake,” the report continued.
Lochen says he can see results. The water that washes off from his farm during rainy weather is cleaner than before.
Minnesota’s water quality certification program is run by the state’s agriculture department.
The program is “a voluntary opportunity for farmers and agricultural landowners to take the lead in implementing conservation practices that protect our water. Those who implement and maintain approved farm management practices will be certified and in turn obtain regulatory certainty for a period of ten years,” according to the state.
So, how effective is a voluntary program like this one?
At this point, it covers “about 235,000 acres — less than 1 percent of the state's 26 million acres of farmland,” MPR News reported.
State officials, however, believe that participation is increasing. Matthew Wohlman, deputy state agriculture commissioner, “said about 370 farmers involved with the program have helped reduce the amount of sediment in Minnesota lakes and rivers, and saved millions of pounds of soil from eroding,” the Associated Press recently reported.
Still, the program has been criticized by water quality advocates.
“The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy published a report in December 2015 criticizing the program for not addressing nitrate pollution caused by farm drainage systems,” MPR reported.
To read more about agricultural runoff visit Water Online’s Nutrient Removal Solutions Center.