And How Do We Do It?

Annual Total N loads, Susquehanna River at Towanda Source: Chesapeake Bay Watershed Data Dashboard

Kevin Brown, Ag Resource Specialist, BCCD
The article I wrote the other day talked a little bit about what we do here.  To expand on this, here is a little bit more information.  (Disclaimer- This is how I understand it.  It is very close to correct, but may not be exactly right with some government agency out there somewhere.)  In 1985, it was determined that the Chesapeake Bay was in trouble.  The issues were dead zones created by excess algal blooms.  The algal blooms themselves are not the cause of the dead zones.  What is, is the fact that when all those algae die, it sucks all the oxygen out of the water as it decomposes.  Just like us, most living organisms need oxygen.  No oxygen, no life (dead zone).  What is the reason for the bigger and bigger algal blooms?  Excess nutrients and sediment in the water.  Those nutrients and sediment are coming from upstream (us).  

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In 1985 there were a number of laws enacted to attempt to help clean up the Bay.  They would give us 40 years to get this thing turned around.  1985 + 40 years = (guess what) 2025- next year.  We are at the crossroads of when we are supposed to have met a number of goals.  Where are we?  Uh, not doing well by most measures.  It has been a real challenge to move the needle.  Why?  Well, that is the million-dollar question.  Are we approaching it right?  Are we fixing the right issues?  Is there a legacy effect that is hard to overcome?  Are there factors at play that we don’t understand?  I am not sure anyone knows the answers here.  In the meantime, we will do our part.

As explained in the first article, our part focuses on nutrients and keeping them where they need to stay.  Nutrients can come from fertilizer and manure.  The two main ones we focus on are nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P).  For anyone that knows the N cycle, they know that this is a really difficult nutrient to measure and keep under control.  It volatizes, it leaches, it gets used by the crop, it gets tied up, it gets released, and the list goes on.  It is way too complicated to explain here.  The biggest thing with N is to not over-apply it (illegal).  

The other nutrient is phosphorous.  Phosphorous is everywhere.  An example, detergents are really high in phosphorous.  The nice thing about P is that is bonds very tightly to soil particles.  Why does this matter?  If the soil doesn’t go anywhere, neither does the P.  In my previous article I explained that loose soil is bad.  If we can just keep it tied together (roots, plants), the soil can’t erode, and the P can’t go anywhere.  Problem solved.  This is not 100% of the P, but a very large portion of it.  So, no till planting, cover crops, HUAPs, observing setbacks, etc. 

So, on the ag end of things, if we can just avoid over-application of N and keep the soil stabilized and in place, and keep it all away from water, we have fixed a significant portion of the problem.  To accomplish this, we write plans to keep nutrients away from water (manure spreading setbacks).  We also advise on pasture and fertilizer management and build structures to keep animals from destroying the soil.   If we can just accomplish this, most of the pollution issues are significantly reduced.  Give us a call if we can help.  We do have access to funding to help with these goals.
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The Bradford County Conservation District is committed to helping people manage resources wisely.  You can visit the Bradford County Conservation District at 200 Lake Rd in Wysox across from the Wysox Fire Hall. Contact us at (570) 485-3144 or visit our web page at www.bccdpa.com.