Ag Practices Control Strategies - Chehalis River Council Ag Practices Source Control Strategies

Agricultural Practices Source Control Strategies

Agriculture, both commercial and noncommercial, is a significant land use in Chehalis Basin. Approximately 257 square miles (164,000 acres), or 9.7% of the Chehalis River Basin is agricultural (USDA, 1975). Commercial dairy, livestock and crop farming operations are predominantly located in the low-lying valleys adjacent to the Chehalis River and its major tributaries, including the South Fork Chehalis, Newaukum, Skookumchuck, Black, Satsop and Wynoochee rivers, and Scatter Creek. Principal crops include hay and silage, with some vegetables and small grains. Berries are grown in the Chehalis-Centralia area. Many Christmas tree farms are located along the Skookumchuck River and in the Chehalis-Centralia area. Several private aquaculture facilities are located in the Grand Mound-Rochester area.

Pollutants most often identified with farming are sediments, nutrients, organic material, pesticides, and pathogens. Crop production activities that generate these pollutants are soil tillage, improper application of fertilizers and pesticides, and irrigation. Animal production activities that generate these pollutants include animal confinement, overgrazing of pastures, unrestricted livestock access to streams, and improper application of animals wastes to fields. Poor pasture and animal waste management may be the most significant sources of agricultural nonpoint pollutants in the Chehalis River Basin. Violations of fecal coliform standards are a significant problem throughout the basin. The highest values are observed in the wet season, which would indicate contaminated stormwater runoff as a probable source (Pickett, 1992).

State programs for control of nonpoint source pollution from agricultural practices rely on voluntary implementation of best management practices (BMPs), with enforcement of water quality regulations as a last resort. Examples of agricultural BMPs include waste holding ponds, streamside fences, and careful management of fields. Conservation districts, the Washington State University Cooperative Extension, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Soil Conservation Service, and noxious weed control boards all provide technical assistance to farmers and promote farm planning and the use of agricultural BMPs, and other USDA programs provide federal cost-share funding of BMPs.

Agricultural Practices Goals

Significantly reduce or eliminate adverse impacts from agricultural nonpoint source pollution entering the waters of the Chehalis River Basin.

Increase implementation of agricultural best management practices on commercial and noncommercial farms.

Improve communication and understanding between the agricultural community, basin residents and regulatory authorities.

Recommend adequate plan review, inspections, enforcement of existing agricultural regulations, and development of new regulations when needed.

Agricultural Recommendations

Issue: High concentrations of livestock in riparian areas can cause water quality problems. The Soil Conservation Service (SCS) and conservation districts have established recommendations for riparian fencing. Not all streams in contact with livestock require fencing; only those with livestock densities exceeding SCS recommendations. SCS does not have standards for density, but instead evaluates potential erosion and agronomic rates of nutrient uptake and utilization. Water quality can be protected in riparian areas with high animal densities by implementing practices from a range of solutions including fencing. Loss of streamside vegetation due to agriculture, and subsequent erosion and elevation of water temperatures has been identified as a significant factor limiting salmon and steelhead trout production in the Chehalis River Basin (Hiss, 1982). Well-developed riparian vegetation is crucial to fish habitat, provides a reliable and abundant insect food supply for juvenile fish, and provides security and cover for both juvenile and adult fish. Vegetation shades the water, maintaining cooler temperatures. It also acts as a biological filter to reduce inflow of upland animal waste and stabilizes streambanks, reducing erosion and contamination of spawning gravels by fine particulates.

1. - All creeks, tributaries, and the mainstem Chehalis River should be protected from livestock by fencing or other means which may be identified in approved conservation plans in order to:
- A. - Reduce water quality degradation from animal wastes.
- B. - Reduce the probability of bank collapse due to trampling.
- C. - Allow shading vegetation to reestablish along streambanks.
2. - Soil Conservation Service and conservation districts should work with the counties' noxious weed control boards to develop environmentally sound procedures for the maintenance of fenced riparian areas. The goal is to maintain or establish streamside vegetation conducive to favorable riparian habitat. These procedures should be incorporated into conservation plans.
3. - The number of riparian restoration projects in the Chehalis River Basin should be increased through cooperation between the Soil Conservation Service, conservation districts, the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, the Washington Departments of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, noxious weed control boards, and individuals.

Issue: Reduction in cost-share funding has hurt commercial farms and left very little money for assisting small commercial farms. Small and noncommercial farms are a significant source of nonpoint source pollution (NLISN, 1990), and deserve greater attention, and increased funding and assistance. In addition, although aquaculture facilities are regulated as point source dischargers, they are a water-intensive and growing segment of the agricultural industry deserving of increased attention and assistance. Other barriers to installation of best management practices (BMPs), namely resistance to perceived government interference, lack of understanding of nonpoint pollution problems, and the belief that others are responsible for the problem, increase the need for incentives and education.

4. - Conservation districts, Washington State University Cooperative Extension, and noxious weed control boards should request funds to support technical assistance and educational outreach programs for small and noncommercial farms to assist in implementation of BMPs.

Issue: Tributary creeks that receive sufficient pollution from farms to adversely affect water quality are candidates for selection as model watersheds for demonstration and implementation of BMPs by farmers with the assistance of conservation districts, the Chehalis River Council, and interested citizens.

5. - Funding and cooperation should be sought to implement a model watershed program involving farmers in the basin. Conservation districts should seek funding to expand the program to suitable subbasins in the Chehalis River Basin.
6. - Conservation districts, tribes, and counties should cooperatively sponsor small watershed rehabilitation programs.

Issue: - Farms in the Chehalis River Basin contribute to nonpoint source (NPS) problems, but few accelerated programs are available to encourage implementation of BMPs.

7. - The Soil Conservation Service and conservation districts should continue to contact farmers on a one-to-one basis and provide technical and conservation planning assistance throughout the Chehalis River Basin. Funding should be sought from a variety of sources.

Issue: - Improper storage or application of agricultural wastes, pesticides, fertilizers and improper storage and feeding of silage can easily contaminate surface waters, especially during periods of high precipitation.

8. - The Soil Conservation Service and conservation district programs providing technical assistance to farms should be expanded and fully funded, and assistance for complying with agricultural waste permit requirements should be increased. Methane generation plants, "brokerages" for manure application, and other sound land application and treatment options, including the use of Lewis County Conservation District's basin-wide manure pumping program, should be investigated and encouraged.

Issue: - The focus of animal waste management needs to be expanded beyond dairy waste management. All types of animal wastes should be addressed.

9. - The Soil Conservation Service and conservation districts should provide increased technical assistance to animal producers including dairy farmers and farmers raising chickens, beef, fish, horses, hogs, sheep, llamas, or other animals in concentrated numbers.
10. - Explore and promote easier disposal of animal carcasses and educate livestock owners about water quality impacts and options for disposal.

Issue: - Agriculture can impair ground water quality through a variety of practices, presenting serious problems when ground water is used for domestic and commercial water supplies.

11. - County health districts should enforce regulations and initiate programs in cooperation with conservation districts to protect ground water from adverse impacts of agricultural practices and to raise awareness of the importance of ground water. These programs should include wellhead protection measures, conservation plans, public education regarding safe application of dairy waste and biosolids, and comprehensive ground water protection programs for farmers.

Issue: - The majority of farmers are good stewards of water resources and deserve to be recognized for implementing conservation measures to protect water quality.

12. - Conservation districts, the Washington Dairy Federation, the Farm Bureau, and others should expand their public recognition programs for farmers and livestock owners who institute measures to reduce agricultural nonpoint source pollution.

Issue: - Counties and cities should be more sensitive to the long-term needs and low-intensity development patterns of agriculture, and should protect original land uses in areas of residential development. Good agricultural practices are compatible with a healthy environment and can have less impact than other intensive uses.

13. - Where farming is the prevailing land use, the use of best management practices and implementation of approved conservation plans should be protected from nuisance claims by right-to-farm ordinances and the development of conservation plans by conservation districts and farmers. As an incentive, farmers who fully implement such plans will meet the requirements of most water quality regulations.

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