August 2014: How would you like to look out your window and see this? Imagine the debris this rushing rainwater is dragging with it!
A soupy barnyard like this one is cause for concern. Sooner or later, the pollutants will make their way to a stream and on to a larger water body. Best Management Practices call for containment, a cleaner barnyard, thanks to the AEM program.
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WE ALL LIVE IN A WATERSHED
A watershed is the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it flows into the same place.
Watersheds come in all shapes and sizes. In the US, including Hawaii Alaska, and Puerto Rico, there are 2,267 watersheds. We all live in a watershed -- the area that drains to a common waterway - a stream, lake, estuary, wetland, aquifer, or even the ocean. One example of water quality concern inside a watershed is storm water runoff. This runoff is generated when rain or snowmelt do not soak into the ground but flow over land or impervious surfaces (paved streets, parking lots, and building rooftops), collecting debris as it goes - chemicals, sediment or other pollutants - the outcome may not be good for water quality if it's left untreated. The District assists landowners with water quality concerns, especially with more subtle concerns at farms within the county. In delivering the New York State Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) program to farmers, the District and farmer work together to address the overall environmental condition of their business. |
Maps
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