Good Practices, Regulations Keep Runoff out of Lakes
Posted
Jordan Fouts-
Soil conservation practices and regulated large farm operations help keep lakes clean, visitors at a panel discussion heard Saturday. Kosciusko County is a leader in preventing soil loss, said Mark DePoy, Department of Agriculture district conservationist. He detailed the practices he helps farmers implement with the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to prevent soil runoff into bodies of water, such as terracing to capture runoff and growing cover crops in the off-season. He said these techniques not only result in higher crop yields, but also keep phosphorus and algae bloom levels in lakes down. About half the farmers in the county are involved, which he said is a higher percentage than in surrounding counties. “I see more and more interest in it all the time, though you’re asking them to make a big change. There’s a learning curve,” he noted. He also noted with conservation practices in place he has seen soil loss go from 6.8 tons per acre – an amount of topsoil equivalent to the thickness of a sheet of paper, which adds up over time and may carry into the water three pounds of phosphorous per ton – to only one ton per acre or even a net gain. Algae blooms are a growing concern in area lakes, something which is only beginning to receive intense study locally and regionally, said Nate Bosch, director of Kosciusko Lakes and Streams, which put the panel talk together. County Health Department Administrator Bob Weaver, who attended the talk, said at the January health board meeting they will be more proactive in testing for algae blooms this summer. Also during the panel, Steve Howell, agricultural liaison with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, characterized regulated farms – commonly called Confined Animal Feeding Operations – as beneficial to water quality. Kosciusko County hosts 54 of the 1,900 regulated farms in the state, he said, representing about 8 to 10 percent of total cropland. He said they’re good for water quality because they are not permitted to discharge into the water, and that farmers in Indiana are more regulated than in surrounding states. State Rep. Rebecca Kubacki agreed, observing that the regulated farm owners she’s spoken with have been very responsible. “With the investments CAFOs make, he’s not going to risk being shut down,” she said. They are also major producers of manure for fertilizer, which Howell said in Jay County is enough to cover 16 percent of land. “If fertilizer is going to be applied I’d rather it be manure than commercial,” he remarked. “If you want you want your water clean, that size operation is a good thing.”
