By Eric Norland, Ohio State University Extension Natural Resources Specialist
An acronym that is widely used in agriculture and natural resource circles is BMP. BMP stands for Best Management Practices and was introduced in the federal Water Quality Act of 1987.
BMPs are methods or practices that can be used before, during or after pollution-producing activities to reduce or eliminate the introduction of pollutants into water. BMPs were first developed for various agricultural and natural resource management practices, such as crop and livestock production and timber harvesting.
The focus of BMPs is to reduce nonpoint source pollution -- water pollution whose source is not traceable to a particular entry point and is usually caused by land management activities. Therein lies the natural connection between agriculture and natural resource management.
But, stop for a moment and consider all of the other land management or land-disturbing activities. This list includes: home construction sites, road-building, turf management and garden-tilling. In other words, BMPs are not just for farmers, they are for you and me! By simply incorporating BMPs into what we do in our occupations and avocations, each of us -- individually -- can make a contribution to improving our water resources.
Ohioans have made great strides in cleaning up the state's water, primarily by reducing the amount of point source pollution -- pollution from a pipe or other noticeable source -- that came from industry and sewage treatment plants. However, even with the progress so far, only about half of the Ohio streams and rivers that have been monitored meet all water quality standards. Further improvements will come from you and me, our friends and families, and our co-workers and colleagues, as we adopt Best Management Practices that reduce the amount of pollution introduced into our waters.
As a scientist at the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency once said, "We are all nonpoint source polluters."
And I always counter, "Yes, and each of us can do something about that."
All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or Vietnam-era veteran status.
Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Adm. and Director, OSU Extension.
TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868