Best Management Practices

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Best Management Practices

• Best Management Practices (BMP) activities,
  practices, maintenance procedures, and other
  management practices to prevent or reduce the
  pollution of waters and improve soil quality.
• Several types for each of the following lans use
  areas
• Agriculture
• Forestry
• Urban

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Unaltered water pathways

• Benefits of Best Management Practices
• For farmers
• Better erosion control
• Keeping nutrients in field saving money
• Better storm water management
• Improved soil quality better crop production
• Less damage to fields and property
• Increased organic matter increased soil
  moisture
• For Property Owners
• Easier, cheaper landscape maintenance
• Up to 50 less summer irrigation needs
• Lower fertilizer needs
• Much less pesticides and herbicides needed
  easier, and healthier for families
• Better landscape appearance, all year
• For Our Waterways, fish, and wildlife
• Reduced stormwater runoff less erosion and
  sediment in streams

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Altered water pathways

• Water quality and water quantity problems occur
  with water when BMPs are not used
• Less water is lost to evapo-transpiration
• Water infiltrated is less than half compared to
  BMP areas
• Water runoff is triple compared to BMP areas
• Soil organisms and biota are less

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The Chesapeake Bay Watershed is a large ecosystem
that encompasses approximately 64,000 square
miles in six states- Maryland, Delaware,
Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New
York. More than half of Pennsylvania lies within
the watershed. Pennsylvania contains two major
rivers- the Susquehanna, and the Potomac.
Together, they total 40 of the entire Chesapeake
Bay watershed. The Susquehanna River basin is the
largest tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.
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Agricultural BMPs

• Conservation tillage
• Strip Cropping
• Contour Farming
• Grassed Waterways
• Windbreaks
• Nutrient Management plans
• Riparian Buffers
• Integrated Pest Management

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Soil Erosion
Sediment loaded runoff from a field

• Sheet and rill erosion buried crops at the base
  of a hill

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Conservation tillage
Leaves at least 30 of last years crop residue on
soil surface
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Soil losses per tillage type
Source Nebraska State extension
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strip cropping/ contour farming and grassed
waterways
Farming on contour of hill
Alternating crops down slope
Grassed waterway
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Windbreak
Windbreaks used to slow and divert wind currents,
protect bare soil surfaces, and conserve soil
moisture
Subsoil exposed on high points due to wind erosion
Rich topsoil
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Nutrient Management plan
Manure application/ injecting
Soil sampling for analytical testing
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Riparian Buffers

• Benefits
• Traps sediments before reaching waterway
• Filters fertilizers and pesticides from runoff
• Provides habitat
• Keeps water cooler for fish
• Promotes water infiltration and groundwater
  recharge

Parts of a riparian buffer

• Trees near the waterway
• Shrubs and brush outside of trees
• Grass buffer farthest away from waterway

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Integrated Pest management

• Rotating crops and proper harvest times to
  disrupt pest life cycles
• Planting seeds with genetic resistance to pests
• Forecasting based on weather data
• Scouting
• Pest trapping
• Biological controls, bring in the natural enemies
• Pesticides only when pests exceed an economic
  damage threshold
• Manage soil quality

http//paipm.cas.psu.edu/default.htm
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Forestry Practices

• preharvest planning
• streamside and wetland area management
• road construction and maintenance
• timber harvesting
• revegetation

http//www.epa.gov/watertrain/forestry/index.htm
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Forestry BMPs

• Pre-harvest Planning
• boundaries of timber harvest activities
• location and design of roads and landings
• selection of harvesting method and
• reforestation techniques.
• Sensitive areas, such as wetlands and unusually
  important habitats for wildlife, should be
  avoided
• Poorly planned timber harvest can destroy
  natural stream cover, raise water temperature,
  harm fish and degrade other wildlife habitat.
  Careful planning can help reduce the potential
  for nonpoint source pollution and help identify
  any potentially sensitive areas.
• Streams and wetland management
• roads should not be constructed in streams except
  at designated stream or wetland crossings
• operate vehicles only on roads
• do not cast road construction material into
  stream
• do not handle, store, apply, or dispose of
  hazardous chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides
  in stream
• do not deposit waste timber or slash in stream
• Ultrawide, high-flotation tires on logging trucks
  and skidders should be used to reduce soil
  compaction and erosion.
• Operations should be suspended or limited when
  soils become saturated.

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Forestry BMPs

• Road construction
• Plan harvesting activities to minimize the total
  number of miles of road length.
• Use existing roads wherever possible.
• Minimize the changes in the natural stability of
  the land - place roads on high ground keep out
  of streamside management zones and wet areas
  keep off the toe of banks and slopes.
• Where possible, the road should follow the
  natural contour of the land. This will avoid the
  need for extensive cut and fill.
• Minimize the number of wet meadow and stream
  crossings.
• Keep road gradient as low as possible. The
  steeper the grades, the greater the velocity of
  the runoff.

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Forestry BMPs

• Timber harvesting Revegetation
• Landings for any of the above transport systems
  should be located in dry areas with slight
  slopes, well outside streamside management zones
  or wetlands. The number and size of landings
  should be planned along with the harvest road
  system considering the yarding system selected.
  There must be adequate drainage on approach
  trails to the landing and a mechanism to divert
  water away from the landing.
• The ability to grow the next forest depends on
  protecting the soil. After completion of
  harvesting operations, landings and access roads
  must be stabilized. Regrade and revegetate the
  surface of landings and access roads so they are
  smooth, level, and free of ruts. Heavily
  compacted areas may require scarification or
  disking to promote water infiltration.

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Urban Practices

• STORM WATER Management Practices
• Permeable pavers
• Green roofs
• Rain gardens
• Avoidance of compaction
• Keeping of green spaces
• Reduction of sedimentation

www.ci.woodbury.mn.us/graphics/npdes.gif
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Permeable paving systems
Increases the amount of storm water infiltration,
reduction of runoff pollutants, and still
provides a solid surface for vehicles
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Green Roofs and rain gardens
GREEN ROOF Chicago City Hall Urban Heat Island
Initiative project
RAIN GARDEN
Improve storm water quality, reduce runoff
volumes and facilitate infiltration, filter and
clean water, provide habitat, and improve
aesthetics.
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Some additional resouces

• http//www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/pages/publicat
  ionD.jsp?publicationId114
• http//photogallery.nrcs.usda.gov/Index.asp
• http//faculty.msmary.edu/envirothon/current/guide
  /ag_urban_bmp.htm
• http//www.agriculture.state.pa.us/