Water Quality  
 
Protect Groundwater By Assessing Farm Chemical Storage & Handling Practices 
 
Why should farmers and ranchers be concerned ?
 
     Farm chemicals play a vital role in agriculture.  Over the years they 
have dramatically increased farm production, but they must be stored and 
handled safely to protect both people and the environment.  

     Protecting groundwater from contamination by pesticides is particularly 
important. Groundwater is not easily contaminated, but neither is it easily 
cleaned up once it is contaminated.  Groundwater is vulnerable to 
contamination from agricultural chemicals at the farmstead where most of the 
storage and handling of these chemicals occurs.  Filling sprayers and mixing 
of chemicals is frequently done at the farmstead close to the well. 
 
 
What can be done to protect groundwater from agricultural chemicals? 
 
     Protecting Your Groundwater Through Farmstead Assessment is an 
assessment process to help identify potential risks to groundwater 
contamination. The farmstead assessment materials developed by the NDSU 
Extension Service include materials specifically for agricultural chemicals.  
The materials include a checklist which uses a "Yes - No" format to help 
identify these risks to groundwater contamination.  One section of the 
checklist deals exclusively with chemicals.  A separate farmstead assessment 
publication is available which suggests ways to minimize risks to groundwater 
contamination from farm chemicals.  Ask your county Extension Agent for 
publications AE-1073, The Farmstead Checklist, and AE-1077, Assessing Your 
Farm Chemical Storage and Handling Practices. 
 
 
Protecting groundwater through farmstead assessment.
 
     Use the Farmstead Checklist to help identify risks to groundwater 
contamination from chemicals.  The checklist includes 14 questions 
specifically dealing with farm chemicals. These questions guide the user 
through chemical storage, mixing and handling practices which occur on most 
farms.  The publication Assessing Your Farm Chemical Storage and Handling 
Practices suggests ways of correcting potential risks to groundwater 
contamination from farm chemicals. 
 
 
How can pesticide retail dealers help?
 
     Pesticide dealers can encourage farmers and ranchers to increase their 
awareness of the benefits of identifying potential risks to groundwater 
contamination from farm chemicals.  Get multiple copies of the farmstead 
assessment publications from the county extension office. Display these 
publications where customers are likely to see them.  Encourage farmers and 
ranchers to perform the assessment at their farmsteads. 

(Submitted by John Nowatzki, Extension Water Quality Associate)