Em4885 irrigation management practices to protect ground water

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CHAPTER 4
The Washington State Department of Agriculture maintains a Waste Pesticide Program.
This program provides for safe disposal of unusable or prohibited pesticides. It is operated
at no cost to the participating farmers. Participating farmers must pre-register with the
Department of Agriculture to be notified of collection dates and sites. Interested farmers
should contact the Department of Agriculture’s Pesticide Management Division
in Olympia.
IP 4.01.09 - Maintain Equipment Properly to Reduce Spills
or Leaks and Clean Properly After Use
Objective
Reduce unintentional chemical spills during mixing, loading, application, and cleaning.
Description
Check all hoses, gauges, nozzles, and piping to make sure there are no leaks. Make sure
screens are clean and pumps operate correctly.
IP 4.01.10 - Clean Equipment Properly After Use
Objective
Reduce unintentional chemical spills during equipment cleaning.
Description
WSU Cooperative Extension bulletin EB1644 , Protecting Ground Water from Pesticide
Contamination, (published November 1991) lists the following precautions when
cleaning equipment:
1. Perform an initial rinse at the application site using clean water.
2. Rinse and clean application equipment after each use unless the same chemical
is to be used again.
3. Follow chemical label instructions for cleaning if a listed chemical.
4. Do not wash equipment near wellheads, ditches, streams, or other water sources.
5. Construct a safe cleaning site that will minimize the chance for chemical spills.