 INTERVIEW with Jocelyn Henderson, Resource Management Specialist, Division of Soil and Water Conservation
What do you do to support sustainable development in Ohio?
I work with 22 county soil and water conservation districts in northwest Ohio to protect surface and ground water from becoming polluted by manure and sediment. Manure is generated by farm animals and makes an excellent fertilizer. Sediment is generally made up of soil and rock deposits that run off agricultural fields.
How do sediment and manure pollute waterways?
Excessive sediment reduces visibility and settles to the bottom of streams and lakes covering rocks that provide habitat for aquatic organisms. This can reduce fishing quality.
Manure contains nutrients such as ammonia that can be toxic to aquatic life. Because it is rich in plant available nutrients that support crop growth, manure can also cause excessive plant growth in waterways.
When overabundant aquatic plants die, they use up oxygen causing “dead zones” where living organisms cannot survive. The photo shows a stream polluted by manure.
 How can farmers pollute waterways?
Although agricultural producers are generally good environmental stewards, accidents and unintended consequences happen. For example, farmers with little storage room for manure spread it daily or weekly throughout the winter on frozen and snow-covered ground that does not allow the manure to settle into the soil. When there is a thaw, the manure may runoff with the snowmelt into nearby streams and lakes.
In another example, a farmer may use a no-till farming method, which is excellent to conserve soil and prevent erosion. It also is great for worms. Unfortunately, the wormholes may conduct water and liquid manure to subsurface tile lines that flow into a stream. Farmers also need to be aware that during extremely dry conditions, manure can seep through cracks in soil and then out through a field drainage tile.
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Collecting Water Samples
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Samples are sent to the EPA
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Samples must be labeled
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What do you do when a pollution event occurs?
We generally contact the local county soil and water conservation district to investigate the event. Other state and local agencies, such as the Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency and the Division of Wildlife may also be involved depending on the size of the livestock operation and the severity of the pollution event. These agencies and my own have staff trained and equipped to collect water samples, as I am doing in the photos.
The samples are then sent to the EPA which tests them for oxygen level, suspended sediment, nitrogen and phosphorous. The results of the water samples give important water quality data at the time of the pollution event, helping to confirm pollution sources. Samples must be properly labeled with time and location as shown in the photo.
What can be done to prevent pollution of waterways?
Laws provide guidelines to protect water quality and help agricultural producers prevent pollution, as set out in the Agricultural Pollution Abatement Rules and Standards. I help educate farmers about these standards. Some ways of preventing pollution include in-stream channel designs, blocking tile drains when drainage is not needed and technologies to handle and treat manure.
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Pollution Investigation Report
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If farmers do not prevent pollution, neighbors and others can file a complaint with our division. When a complaint is filed, I often help local districts complete a pollution investigation report.
I also work with local watershed groups to develop watershed action plans to identify problems within their watershed. A watershed indicates all the sources of water that drain into a single stream or river.
What is most challenging about your job?
Agricultural pollution is often a non-point source of pollution that can make it difficult to determine the exact source of the pollution. Point sources of pollution, such as a waste water pipe from a factory, are much easier to identify. |