How Does the Program Help to Protect Groundwater?
The Michigan Water Stewardship Program helps individuals protect ground and surface water through a mix of the following elements:
► On-site risk assessment - raises awareness of activities which may pose a risk to groundwater.
► Technical assistance - helps individuals implement practices to reduce those risks to ground and surface water.
► Cost - provides financial support for the implementation of a variety of ground and surface water stewardship practices.
► Education / Demonstration - identifies real world or cost effective solutions to ground and surface water problems.
Local water stewardship teams work together to ensure that the mix of these elements meets local needs and interest. Local teams may include farmers, commodity groups, agribusiness, health department personnel, citizens and others. The teams also provide a collective voice for pesticide and nitrogen fertilizer users in determining the direction of the statewide program.
Michigan Water Stewardship Practices
A number of stewardship practices are available which will help to reduce the risk of ground and surface water contamination, including:
*abandoned well plugging
*permanent and/or portable mix/load pads
*permanent and/or temporary pesticide storage
*equipment calibration
*pre-side dress nitrate testing
*nutrient managing
*bulk fertilizer scondary containment
*irrigation backflow prevention device
*spray controller and monitor
Abandoned Well Closures
An abandoned well poses many risks to groundwater. Old and new abandoned wells are direct routes for fertilizers, pesticides, and other hazardous chemicals to enter into the aquifer, and into our drinking water. This is a series of photos that demonstrates a large dug well being properly closed. Cost share through the Michigan Water Stewardship Program helped this producer successfully close a well at a livestock facility. Layers of bentonite clay and native soils are added to the well in order to seal and prevent any contaminants from entering the groundwater and nearby surface water.