Em4885 irrigation management practices to protect ground water

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4. Objective 4.00 - Manage crop protection program to minimize chemical residues available
for transport
5. Objective 5.00 - Reduce contamination of surface water from sedimentation
6. Objective 6.00 - Prevent direct aquifer contamination via wells
Within some Objectives are separate sections of Implementation Practices. For example, within
Objective 2.00 there are four sections, three of which list Practices for an individual irrigation
system type. The science of managing those three system types is also discussed in these sections.
Chapter 5 provides guidance on how to develop a pollution-control program on a specific
farm. Chapter 5 is also available for site-specific information that may be
developed by State and Federal Agencies. This information might include
average annual evapotranspiration for the various crops grown in the area, average
annual rainfall, average water quality of surface and ground water supplies, and
assessments of the potential for pollution in that area. Also, the Objectives and
Practices presented in Chapter 4 assume an average physical/economic
environment. There may be circumstances that would cause a Practice to lead
to different results than indicated by the discussions in Chapter 4. Local Agencies
might identify these situations and place the information in Chapter 5.
Chapter 6 is a summary discussion of the role of selected government agencies and entities
in reducing water pollution. The Compliance Memorandum of Agreement between
the Department of Ecology, the Washington Conservation Commission, and local
conservation districts is explained in this chapter.
Chapter 7 is a listing of resources, both public and private, that are available to growers for
help in implementing the Practices presented in Chapter 4.
A Glossary explaining the terminology used in the Manual is provided in Chapter 8.
How to use the Manual
The following is a recommended way of using the Manual in order to best decide which
Practices to apply in achieving the Objectives:
1. Read Chapter 2 to become familiar with surface and ground water quality issues. It will
indicate the importance of surface and ground water quality, summarize regulatory law
that implements programs to control pollution, and discuss the strategy developed for
reducing or preventing pollution. This Chapter will also introduce the important State
and Federal agencies charged with protecting and improving water quality in Washington.
2. Read Chapter 3 to become familiar with the science of water pollution and irrigation.
This Chapter is extremely important as it provides the background knowledge for complete
understanding of the Overall Management Objectives and recommended Implementation
Practices of Chapter 4.
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