Laserfiche WebLink
<br />-/ <br />I <br />i <br />I <br />i <br /> <br />...... <br />c..:> <br />o <br />oA <br /> <br />designed to meet the needs of specifiC sites, resulting in more than a <br />dozen effective BMPs that integrate well into today's agriculture. RCWP <br />projects also intro~uced event-based, long-term waler quality monitoring- <br />and low-cost biomonitoring methods-to nonpoint source control. <br />In refining monitoring systems and evaluation methods, the RCWP has <br />established asci~ntific approach for judging BMP effectiveness. Indeed, <br />the data so acquir~d have enhanced our understanding of nonpoint source <br />pollution and ,the means by which it can be controlled. <br />And RCWP prOjects were among the first to directly ,correlate agricul- <br />tural nonpoint soutce control practices with specific objectives to improve <br />water quality In laKes and streams. <br />The entire RCWP experience-the engineering designs, the projects, <br />the results-forms the cornerstone for future nonpoint source manage- <br />ment programs. <br /> <br />'t <br /> <br />SelecteClf Project Profiles <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />EPA Region I <br /> <br />. St. Albans Bay,:Vermont: Annual attendance at St. Albans Bay Park <br />dropped from 27,5lilo in 1960 to 3,500 in 1978 as recreational use of this <br />bay on Lake Champlain became increasingly impaired due to eutrophica- <br />tion. Treatment of d;airy operations has resulted in some measured reduc- <br />tions in phosphoru~ loadings. The project has been a leader in developing <br />analytic approaches for assessing BMP effectiveness and the water <br />quality impacts of ttie RCWP. <br /> <br />EPA Region;/11 <br /> <br />. Appoqulnlmlnk iRlver, Delaware: Recreational uses of the small <br />lakes and rivers in ithis basin have been constrained by eutrophication <br />and bacterial contamination caused primarily by runoff from cropland and ' <br />animal operations. ~onservation tillage has become widely accepted and <br />implemented as a r~sult of the RCWP - and significantly reduced sedi- <br />ment and phosphon.ls loading. <br /> <br />. Conestoga Hea4waters, Pennsylvania: Nitrates and phosphorus <br />from agricultural sowrceshave affected both the ground water used as <br />domestic water sup~lies for about 175,000 people and the resources of, <br />the Chesapeake Bay. Nutrient management that addresses both manure <br />and commercial fertilizer was implemented on 180 farms from 1986 to <br />1988 though a nutri~nt management office operated by the Cooperative <br />Extension Service. Ir,l this project cost-sharing was not accepted by most <br />farmers because it required signing a government contract. Many of <br />these farmers did re$pond to extra educational and technical assistance <br />in implementing nutrlilnt management. <br /> <br />13 <br /> <br />