Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutWater Quality and Home Pesticide UseWater Quality an d H o m e Pesticide Use B r o c h u r e s i n t h i s s e r i e s a r e : # 1 - W h y M a n a g e P e s t s ? # 2 - I P M i n a n d a r o u n d Y o u r H o m e # 3 - U n d e r s t a n d i n g P e s t i c i d e P r o d u c t L a b e l s # 4 - H o m e P e s t M a n a g e m e n t a n d C h i l d r e n # 5 - W a t e r Q u a l i t y a n d H o m e P e s t i c i d e U s e T h e y a r e a v a i l a b l e f r o m t h e N Y S D E C , B u r e a u o f P e s t i c i d e s M a n a g e m e n t , t e l e p h o n e 5 1 8 - 4 0 2 - 8 7 8 1 , A l b a n y , N Y , o r t h e D E C r e g i o n a l o f f i c e s . V i s i t t h e N Y S D E C w e b s i t e , h t t p : / / w w w . d e c . s t a t e . n y . u s / P RE P A R E D B Y : NY S D EP A R T M E N T O F E NV I R O N M E N T A L C ON S E R V A T I O N D IV I S I O N O F S OL I D & H AZ A R D O U S M AT E R I A L S AN D NY S W AT E R R ES O U R C E S I NS T I T U T E A PR I L 2 0 0 0 Pr i n t e d o n R e c y c l e d P a p e r 10 P e r c e n t P o s t - C o n s u m e r C o n t e n t New York State DEC P EST M ANAGEMENT I NFORMATION S ERIES #5 Water Quality & Pesticides New York State Department of Environmental Conservation G e o r g e E . P a t a k i , G o v e r n o r E r i n M . C r o t t y , C o m m i s s i o n e r • I d e n t i f y t h e p e s t a n d l e a r n a b o u t t h e b e s t w a y t o c o n t r o l i t . D e c i d e i f p e s t i c i d e s a r e n e e d e d . Th e r e a r e a n u m b e r o f m e t h o d s , o t h e r th a n p e s t i c i d e s , a v a i l a b l e t o ma n a g e p e s t s . A s o u r c e o f in f o r m a t i o n i s B r o c h u r e # 2 i n th i s s e r i e s , “ I P M i n a n d ar o u n d Y o u r H o m e , ” w h i c h i s av a i l a b l e f r o m t h e D E C . I f y o u de c i d e t o u s e p e s t i c i d e s ou t s i d e y o u r h o u s e , o n t h e la w n , s h r u b s a n d g a r d e n , i t i s i m p o r t a n t t o u s e th e m p r o p e r l y o r t h e y m a y e n t e r s u r f a c e o r gr o u n d w a t e r . W a i t f o r t h e a p p r o p r i a t e w e a t h e r c o n d i t i o n s a n d d i r e c t l y t a r g e t t h e p e s t w h e n a p p l y i n g a p e s t i c i d e . T h i s w i l l p r e v e n t pe s t i c i d e s f r o m r u n n i n g o f f wi t h r a i n w a t e r o r s p r a y d r i f t be i n g b l o w n b y t h e w i n d in t o s u r f a c e w a t e r . S w e e p u p g r a n u l a r p e s t i c i d e s t h a t f a l l o n w a l k s a n d d r i v e w a y s . D e p o s i t sw e e p i n g s o n t r e a t e d a r e a o r b a c k i n t o co n t a i n e r f o r l a t e r u s e . R u n o f f oc c u r s m o r e r e a d i l y o n i m p e r v i o u s su r f a c e s l i k e w a l k s , d r i v e w a y s a n d co m p a c t e d s o i l . R u n o f f c a n c a r r y pe s t i c i d e s t o s t o r m s e w e r s . L e a v e b u f f e r a r e a s o f v e g e t a t i o n n e a r s t r e a m s a n d w a t e r w a y s . Th i s w i l l h e l p pr e v e n t r a i n o r i r r i g a t i o n w a t e r r u n o f f f r o m ca r r y i n g p e s t i c i d e s t o a n e a r b y s t r e a m , p o n d or l a k e . Ho w Y o u C a n H e l p P r o t e c t O u r W a t e r Pr o t e c t i n g O u r W a t e r is E v e r y b o d y ’ s B u s i n e s s ! K n o w t h e a p p r o x i m a t e d e p t h t o g r o u n d w a t e r in t h e a r e a s y o u i n t e n d t o t r e a t w i t h a p e s t i c i d e . Sh a l l o w w a t e r t a b l e s a n d s a n d y s o i l s p e r m i t wa t e r - c a r r y i n g p e s t i c i d e s t o m o r e q u i c k l y pe r c o l a t e t o g r o u n d w a t e r . D o n o t u s e o r m i x p e s t i c i d e s n e a r y o u r w e l l . Pe s t i c i d e s c a n e n t e r t h e g r o u n d a n d c o n t a m i n a t e gr o u n d w a t e r a n d y o u r w e l l b y e n t r y a l o n g t h e we l l ’ s c a s i n g . I f s t o r i n g p e s t i c i d e s , u s e l o c k e d c a b i n e t s o r s h e d s . U n l o c k e d c a b i n e t s o r s t o r a g e m a y l e a d to s p i l l s o r i n c o r r e c t u s e , c a u s i n g p e s t i c i d e s t o re a c h g r o u n d o r s u r f a c e w a t e r . S t o r e p e s t i c i d e s i n t h e i r o r i g i n a l c o n t a i n e r s . Th i s i n s u r e s t h a t l a b e l p r e c a u t i o n s a b o u t u s e pe r t a i n i n g t o h u m a n s , a n i m a l s a n d w a t e r re s o u r c e s a r e r e a d i l y a c c e s s i b l e . N e v e r s t o r e sp l i t o r b r o k e n p e s t i c i d e c o n t a i n e r s . N e v e r p o u r l e f t o v e r p e s t i c i d e s d o w n t h e s i n k , b a t h t u b d r a i n , s t o r m s e w e r , o r o n t h e g r o u n d o u t s i d e . W h e t h e r y o u r h o u s e w a s t e wa t e r g o e s t o a s e w a g e t r e a t m e n t p l a n t o r y o u r ow n s e p t i c s y s t e m , p e s t i c i d e s m a y m a k e t h e i r wa y t o s u r f a c e o r g r o u n d w a t e r . We l l l o c k i n g c a p fr o s t l i n e sp i l l e n t e r i n g w e l l pe s t i c i d e sp i l l d o w n we l l c a s i n g p i p e t o h o u s e sl o p i n g g r o u n d wa t e r t a b l e Ho w H o m e P e s t i c i d e U s e C a n A f f e c t W a t e r Q u a l i t y Wa t e r : On e o f O u r G r e a t e s t R e s o u r c e s Wa t e r i s e s s e n t i a l f o r a l l l i f e o n e a r t h . Th e r e f o r e , i t i s c r i t i c a l f o r u s t o p r o t e c t t h e qu a l i t y o f o u r w a t e r r e s o u r c e s , w h i c h i n c l u d e : • S u r f a c e w a t e r , s u c h a s l a k e s , r i v e r s , s t r e a m s , we t l a n d s a n d d r i n k i n g w a t e r r e s e r v o i r s ; a n d G r o u n d w a t e r . Ma n y o f o u r h o m e s a n d l i v i n g a r e a s a r e n e a r st r e a m s a n d l a k e s o r a b o v e g r o u n d w a t e r t h a t su p p l i e s u s w i t h w a t e r t h r o u g h p r i v a t e o r m u n i c i - pa l w e l l s f o r d r i n k i n g o r o t h e r u s e s . Pe s t i c i d e s a n d W a t e r R e s o u r c e s It i s o u r r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o u n d e r s t a n d h o w ho m e u s e o f p e s t i c i d e s c a n c o n t a m i n a t e s u r f a c e an d g r o u n d w a t e r a n d w h a t p r a c t i c e s w e c a n u s e t o pr e v e n t t h i s f r o m h a p p e n i n g . Tw o p a t h w a y s w a t e r c a n t a k e w h e n f a l l i n g a s ra i n o r o t h e r p r e c i p i t a t i o n a r e : 1 ) R u n o f f f r o m t h e l a n d s u r f a c e t o su r f a c e w a t e r s ; a n d 2 ) P e r c o l a t i o n o r l e a c h i n g i n t o g r o u n d - wa t e r . P r e c i p i t a t i o n c a n c a r r y o t h e r su b s t a n c e s w i t h i t , l i k e p e s t i c i d e s , t o ou r w a t e r r e s o u r c e s . Wh e n y o u u s e p e s t i c i d e s o u t s i d e y o u r ho u s e , o n t h e l a w n a n d i n t h e g a r d e n , i t i s im p o r t a n t t o u s e t h e m a c c o r d i n g t o t h e in s t r u c t i o n s o n t h e l a b e l t o p r e v e n t t h e pe s t i c i d e s f r o m e n t e r i n g w a t e r re s o u r c e s . Po t e n t i a l C o n t a m i n a t i o n f r o m Ho m e U s e o f P e s t i c i d e s Ru n o f f c a r r y i n g gr a n u l a r a p p l i c a t i o n of p e s t i c i d e f r o m la w n t o s t o r m d r a i n . Dr i f t , c a r r i e d b y t h e w i n d , to r i v e r a n d w e l l f r o m pe s t i c i d e a p p l i c a t i o n t o pl a n t s . Sp i l l s f r o m pe s t i c i d e s st o r e d i n sh e d o r f r o m lo a d i n g sp r e a d e r an d m i x i n g ca n r u n o f f in t o r i v e r . The illustration on the left shows examples of outdoor pesticide use at one household. It also demonstrates how pesticides not used responsibly, or not according to label directions, can:Travel with water directly into streams . How a pesticide travels with water depends on the characteristics of the pesticide, such as how easily it mixes with water, conditions of the soil, and how much vegetation,(including lawns) buffers the stream.Leach or percolate into the soil.Rain can carry pesticides into soil depending on the pesticide characteristics, such as how quickly it breaks down in the soil, on how much pesticide was applied, and also on your soil type. If you have sandy soils, for example, more leaching can occur.Be carried by water.Pesticides can run down roads to storm drains and possibly to lakes or streams.Enter a drinking water well.Applications too close to a well or a pesticide spill that finds its way down the casing of the well will carry pesticides into the groundwater. Ru n o f f c a r r y i n g gr a n u l a r a p p l i c a t i o n of p e s t i c i d e t o r i v e r fr o m b a c k l a w n . R i g h t : A p p l i c a t i o n s o f g r a n u l a r p e s t i c i d e t o l a w n c a n b e c a r r i e d t h r o u g h t h e r o o t z o n e t o t h e w a t e r t a b l e a n d c o n t a m i n a t e g r o u n d w a t e r . L e f t : A p p l i c a t i o n s t o o c l o s e t o th e w e l l c a n b e c a r r i e d w i t h w a t e r t h r o u g h t o t h e w a t e r t a b l e a n d c o n t a m i n a t e t h e w e l l . Wa t e r Ta b l e Gr o u n d w a t e r Be d r o c k Wa t e r a n d p e s t i c i d e s Gr o u n d w a t e r Be d r o c k Gr a s s r o o t z o n e Pe s t i c i d e ap p l i c a t i o n Sp i l l s o r in a p p r o p r i a t e pe s t i c i d e u s e ne a r w e l l s .