Water Quality Program Activities & Plans

	Water Quality Program Plan Aid University of Missouri Outreach and Extension

Background Information	Existing Programs
Deliberative Group Summary	CSREES Strategic Plan for WQ
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A review of the preliminary tabulations of the individual counties’ deliberative process to develop programming goals into the millennia reveals that the people of Missouri expect University Cooperative Extension to provide leadership in areas of particular importance to their communities. There is strong concern about continued community viability, economic opportunities, youth, agriculture, infrastructure and the environment.

There is shown an increasing awareness of environmental issues, such as the need for safe drinking water, clean streams, safe disposal of solid wastes, erosion control, and youth environmental education. Missourians not only are ready and willing to address these issues, they are prepared to do it through local initiative. They realize that they can no longer rely on state and federal assistance to both identify and correct environmental problems.

Regulatory requirements under the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act may place increasing burdens on agricultural producers and small communities in the immediate future. The Environmental Protection Agency has mandated that the individual states develop watershed management plans in impaired watersheds. Additional monitoring and public information requirements will affect suppliers of public drinking water. Animal feeding operations will be required to effectively manage their waste nutrients.

The following is a listing of programs relating directly to water quality and environmental stewardship that have been offered to the citizens of Missouri:

On-site sewage percolation testing class

This class was presented in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Health to assist in achieving means for standardized testing throughout Missouri. Percolation testing is used to evaluate soil conditions for receiving effluent from septic tanks, lagoons, etc.

Secondary containment for agricultural chemical and fertilizer dealers

This program was designed to assist agricultural dealers in complying with changing environmental regulations to protect watersheds from possible chemical spills.

Septic system installers Training

In cooperation with the Missouri Department of Health, developed and delivered courses to certify installers if on-site residential and single-user wastewater treatment facilities.

Streets to Streams environmental curriculum training

Developed in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Conservation a (middle school) curricula addressing non-point sources of water pollution.

Composting of dead animals

The Water Quality Program played a lead role in using technology developed at the University of Missouri to provide an environmentally friendly means to dispose of dead animals.

Land application of Biosolids

Provided a means by which agricultural producers and municipalities could use nutrient resources on fields and forage crops. Using available science, sewage and animal waste sludges could be converted from a waste to a resource.

Abandoned well plugging information/education

Abandoned wells present significant threats to groundwater resources. Working with the Missouri Department of Health and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, presented programming to make Missourians aware of these threats, and to address procedures to reduce the potential for water resource pollution.

On-farm fuel storage

Developed programs for agricultural producers to reduce the potential to contaminate water resources.

Class on "Environmental Assessment for Real Estate Professionals"

Lenders are increasing demanding that properties be evaluated for environmental risks, as a means of decreasing potential liabilities. This class was developed to assist real estate professionals to recognize environmental risks and to perform environmental assessments on farmsteads and homesteads.

Mo Manure Management Action Group (MoMMAG) web site

The goal of MoMMAG is to identify and share manure management information and educational programs which can be used by producers, technical agencies, educational institutions, researchers, and the general public. In response to the need for information regarding manure management, MoMMAG has established an electronic clearinghouse, providing a vehicle for gathering and distributing applicable technology related to manure management.

Pesticide and Nutrient management pocketbook

This book is designed for Missouri agricultural producers to use as a tool for recording pesticide and nutrient application data. Information on topics such as soil testing and interpretation, best management practices, manure spreader calibration and pesticide sprayer calibration are included to make this a handy reference.

Pond PIE

Developed and presented a class which taught management techniques to foster an environmentally healthy and diverse aquatic ecosystem in farm ponds. Techniques allow multiple uses of ponds, including recreation.

Limnology PIE

Developed and presented a class to present awareness of issues to promote stewardship of aquatic systems, particularly lakes. This class addressed both land and aquatic based practices to assure healthy lakes.

Composting ISE

Presented information and technology on environmentally friendly methods of using organic waste matter.

Domestic Sewage Systems ISE 56

On-site individual wastewater systems present a significant threat to ground and surface waters. This program addressed recognition of at-risk systems, as well as remedial processes and construction methods.

Farm-A-Syst Evaluation assessment

The Water Quality Program coordinates the Missouri Farm*A*Syst/Home*A*Syst program. This program presents a voluntary self-assessment of conditions on the farm and at home to recognize practices or conditions that threaten water resources, as well as providing the information to correct any deficiencies.

Watershed Alliance Building

Watershed management committees can serve numerous roles, including development of landowner friendly management strategies and protection of drinking water supplies. This project’s primary objective is to assist communities in establishing local watershed management groups and development of watershed management plans.

County Dilberative Group Summary for Water Quality Programs

These programs specifically address many of the needs that the individual counties have identified through the ongoing deliberative process, as shown by the tabulations below:

Category	Number of responses	Programs
Education (total)	33
Environmental education	17	Watershed Alliance Building, Real Estate Course
Water Quality education	9	Abandoned well plugging, Surface Water and Watershed Protection PIE
Youth education	7	Streets to Streams
Watershed and Natural Resources Mgmt	32	Watershed Alliance Building
Erosion and/or soil conservation	28	Management practices effecting nutrient and pesticide runoff
Solid Waste/hazardous waste (farm dumps)	26	Farm Dump video, Farm-A-Syst
Recycling	24	Farm Dump video, biosolids, composting
Drinking Water	19	Abandoned Wells, Nitrates in Drinking water, Bacteria in Drinking Water
Planning and Zoning	15
Sewage Systems	14	Perc Test training, on-site Sewage Alternatives
Animal Manure Management (CAFO)	13	Composting dead animals, manure handling and strucutres
Regulations affecting Farms and Farm reputation	12	Environmental Regulations Affecting Ag, Ag in the Classroom
Pesticide use and safety	8	Farm-A-Syst, pesticide container recycling

In January, 1998, The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES-USDA) released a strategic plan outlining critical elements and strategic directions of the Water Quality Education Program for 1998 and beyond. The plan’s title is revealing of the program’s new directions: Education, Empowerment and Involvement: Safe Rural Drinking Water and Minimizing Agricultural Pollution.

The University of Missouri Water Quality Program can quite effectively show a strong adherence with and support to the principle, mission, vision, emphases and goals of this document. In this document, it is stated that CSREES-USDA subscribes to the principle that:

All communities, regardless of economic status, should have access to educational programs that empower them to understand risks posed by water quality problems, and to take action to protect or improve water quality or both in order to forestall, reduce, or eliminate those risks. Access to safe drinking water, or to the information to acquire safe drinking water, is a basic right of every citizen.

The document states a mission to provide leadership in extension education through the Land-Grant System to enable individuals, industry and government to effect changes that enhance and protect the nation’s water resources for the public good, and a vision to be recognized as an important and effective partnership providing leadership for water quality education to help people, industry and governments prevent and solve current and emerging water quality problems.

This strategic plan presents new goals and an updated structure for a program to include water quality educational programs of relevance to a wider community, with seven strategic goals outlined in this document. These goals are to:

Increase the delivery of educational programming about water quality, water-related health risks, and waste water and waste treatment systems in under-served communities, including disadvantaged groups and suburban audiences.
Develop and deliver education programs that teach the hydrologic functions and the dynamics of watersheds and aquifers, enabling landowners and policy makers to protect the quantity and quality of the Nation’s water resources.
Increase the public’s knowledge of pollution prevention control systems and of personal actions that they can employ to conserve and protect stream systems.
Increase public understanding and involvement in community decision-making and in the creation of public policy on water resources issues.
Develop and deliver educational programs that enable individuals to safeguard their own drinking water.
Promote youth and adult volunteers’ involvement in protecting and enhancing the quantity and quality of the nation’s ground and surface water.
Develop and maintain partnerships for more effective and sustained solutions to long-term water quality and quantity issues.

The Water Quality Program within University Extension is in a unique position to offer strong support to individuals and communities in addressing these goals.

The Program is presently addressing these issues through programming efforts in agricultural management practices, homestead and farmstead environmental self-assessment, surface and ground water protection and environmental education. The mandate to take the scientific resources of the University to the people of Missouri is taken very seriously.

The Program has established and maintained effective partnerships and working relationships with state and federal agencies to meet the growing needs for environmental programming. These agencies include the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Department of Conservation, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health and the Department of Education. Within the United States Department of Agriculture partnerships have been fostered with the Natural Resource Conservation Service, The Farm Service Agency and the Rural Development Authority. Strong working relationships with commodity and agricultural groups have served to build bridges between government and agricultural producers.

The Water Quality Program has had an historical mandate to address agricultural issues as they relate to surface and ground water quality. Through the development of management practices and educational programming to increase awareness of these practices, University Extension and it’s partners at NRCS, the Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture have demonstrated success in involving citizenry and interest groups in water resources stewardship.