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Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008

We all have a stake in keeping the quality of our water high

Water quality is a big issue today. We have many people trying to use our limited supply of water. We actually have enough water - we just need to manage it properly.

I have been interested in water quality for a long time, ever since I was a child. However, my concerns were different then. Good water quality meant I could use the water for swimming, wading, fishing, scooping up minnows and finding crawdads.

In other words, I wanted to have a good, wet time. I knew little about pollution, erosion, bacteria - concerns that would keep me from enjoying the water.

We often make the mistake of thinking that water quality is someone else's problem: "My neighbor, that factory, that farm or the government is the one who needs to protect water quality."

This is far from the truth. We all need to protect water quality since we all do things that impact the health of our bodies of water.

A story I heard may illustrate this: A coastal eco-system had high bacterial levels. To identify the source, scientists studied the bacteria. Was this coming from a factory, a farm or septic tanks?

They found that most of the bacteria were from pet waste. The problem was probably an urban one of pet owners not cleaning up after their pets as they walked on the beach or enjoyed their pets in their yard.

This is not intended to criticize pet owners. We just need to understand that all of us pollute water at some time. We all need to take steps to reduce these impacts.

Here are a few tips on doing this:

Storm water collects from our yards, streets etc. and goes into a storm drain. The drain takes this water directly to ditches, streams and rivers, and then eventually to the ocean. There is no water treatment for storm water. We all need to keep pollutants out of this water, which travels straight to our streams.

Do not put pollutants like oil, fertilizer, yard wastes etc. in or near storm drains. When applying fertilizer or pesticides, do not let them get into the road or storm drain. If granules get into the road, sweep them up. Do not blow yard waste into roads where it will wash into drains.

Reduce fertilization on lawns where you can. Many people overfertilize their lawns. Take a soil sample and follow the recommendations. Use the least amount of fertilizer you can and still have a nice landscape.

Use pesticides as a last resort. Few landscape problems are caused by pests. More problems are related to the way we plant or care for our plants. Contact your local Extension office or see our online publications for proper plant care. Good care creates healthier plants, which resist many insects and diseases.

If you do have a pest problem, use cultural controls first. Pick off the bugs or wash them off with a stream of water. Rake up and discard fallen leaves if they are diseased. Leave healthy leaves as a mulch under the canopy of trees and shrubs. Ignore the pest if you can. Much pest damage does not threaten the life of the plant - it just makes it look bad.

To keep storm water on-site, new construction usually incorporates retention or detention areas into the landscape. Do not disturb these areas. They trap storm water pollutants. Do not put soil, landscape clippings or other pollutants in these areas.

Installing rain gardens is a new and beautiful way of preserving water quality. Water is directed to a low area in the landscape. This area is planted with stress-tolerant plants. Pollutants are captured, water is managed and the landscape looks great. For details see http://apps.caes.uga.edu/urbanag/brochures/raingardenbrochureCobb.pdf.

I still like to fish and catch critters in streams. I want my children to enjoy our waters as well. We all need to protect water quality so those who follow us can enjoy Georgia's waters as much as we have.

Willie Chance is the University of Georgia Extension Agent in Houston County. To reach your local extension office, call (800) ASK-UGA1. For gardening questions, e-mail mg@uga.edu or visit www.gaurbanag.org.