University of Idaho Water Quality Brochure

Water
Quality
Programs

Agricultural Experiment Station
Cooperative Extension System
Academic Programs

Meeting the Needs of Idaho's
Greatest Resource -- Its People

Water Bar

General Programs
Water is the lifeblood of Idaho! Over 22 billion gallons of water are used each day in Idaho. More than 97% of this water is used on 4.1 million acres of irrigated farmland. Eighty percent of the water comes from surface water sources (rivers and reservoirs); the other 20% is groundwater. Currently, the quality of water used in Idaho is excellent.

The College of Agriculture at the University of Idaho is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of water quality in Idaho while at the same time maintaining a profitable agricultural economy. Over 80 college faculty have expertise in some water quality issues. They are located on campus at Moscow, at research and extension centers at Aberdeen, Caldwell, Dubois, Idaho Falls, Kimberly, Parma, Sandpoint, Tetonia and Twin Falls, and in 42 of the state's 44 counties. Water quality programs are incorporated into the education, research and extension missions of the College of Agriculture. In addition, the College of Agriculture often work jointly with other colleges on campus and with the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWWRI). College programming areas dealing with water quality include:

Crop Management
Livestock/Range/Forest Management
Domestic Water Quality
Youth Programs
Bioremediation
Riparian Management
Waste Management

Education
Water quality issues will dominate many phases of agriculture and other Idaho industries in the 1990s. The curricula of the College of Agriculture address water issues important to Idaho and the nation. Undergraduate and graduate programs in soil science, agricultural engineering, entomology and bacteriology can focus directly on water issues. In addition, programs in subjects such as crop management, agriculture economics and animal science also have a water quality component. The college's education mission places a high priority on both water quality and quantity in Idaho. Specific educational goals include:

To educate students about Idaho's water resource
To graduate students with the scientific and social skills necessary to deal with water quality issues
To enhance current curricula at the graduate level that emphasize water problems and issues of importance to Idahoans
To provide students with the ability to integrate water quality considerations into comprehensive management plans

Research
Over 30 faculty are actively engaged in research projects targeted at water quality problems within the state. College facilities are located at strategic locations for field research.

The Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) maintains the University of Idaho Analytical Laboratory. This facility supports the research, teaching and extension programs of the college. This laboratory is capable of performing nitrate and pesticide analyses. In addition, facilities of this laboratory support programs in waste management and hazardous wastes.

Ongoing AES research includes programs in the following areas:

Pesticide movement and degradation in soil and water
Nutrient use efficiency and movement in soil and water
Irrigation management
Waste management
Bioremediation
Aquatic ecosystems
Soil and water management and conservation

Extension
Water quality is an important part of extension's effort in Idaho. The University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System consists of over 140 faculty strategically located throughout the state. The faculty work to improve the lives of Idahoans through educational processes based on current scientific knowledge. For example, extension faculty provide information on fertilizer recommendations, irrigation management, pesticide guidelines, erosion control and crop rotations. This information not only improves crop production but also enhances and protects water quality by reducing nutrient and pesticide losses into surface and groundwater.

Some of the existing extension programs to protect water quality are:

Crop Management Program
Nutrient, Pesticide and Irrigation Management
Livestock Managment Program
Grazing and Waste Management
Domestic Water
Water Sources, Storage, Treatment and Associated Health Effects
Urban/Home/Garden
Household/Garden Chemicals, Hazardous Material Disposal
Youth
Natural Resource/Youth Camps, 4-H
Forestry
Timber/Resource Management

Nutrients and Pesticides
Commercial fertilizers and pesticides are two of the major technological breakthroughs of the 20th century. They have given us a means to make soils more productive and to combat pests that threaten our crops. When misused, however, many agrichemicals pose a hazard. Improper management of pesticides and fertilizers can result in contamination of both the surface and groundwaters in Idaho. The College of Agriculture has targeted both research and extension efforts to address potential water quality problems. Some of these efforts include:

Research

Improve nitrogen use efficiency of Idaho crops
Evaluate management strategies to reduce nutrient and pesticide leaching and runoff into surface and groundwaters (nutrients are primarily from fertilizers)
Develop biological control strategies as alternatives to pesticides

Extension

Promote proper handling, application, storage and disposal of pesticides
Provide up-to-date fertilizer and pesticide recommendations with due consideration of environmental/water quality concerns
Promote agricultural practices that improve nitrogen use efficiency by crops

Irrigation Management
Effective and efficient irrigation management is necessary to protect water quality. The College of Agriculture engages in research and extension efforts that use state of the art technologies to enhance irrigation management. These modern technologies result in improved crop yields, improved water use efficiency and reduction in the quantity of agricultural water runoff. Specific irrigation management programs include:

Chemigation training (the application of agrichemicals through irrigation water)
Irrigation scheduling
Transfer of new technologies to growers
Research to evaluate new irrigation methods such as low pressure sprinkler nozzles, trickle and surge irrigation

Livestock/Range/Forestry Management
The College of Agriculture has water quality programs targeted at specific problems faced by the livestock and dairy industries. These programs are designed to:

Assist ranchers and people in the dairy industry to meet government waste management guidelines
Provide information on animal waste disposal
Develop range management strategies that ensure long-term grazing rights but also are compatible with state water quality goals
Provide extension forestry programs that deal with timber management, roads/erosion/grazing in forests and resource management

Riparian Management
Riparian areas are vegetative areas adjacent to free-flowing water, usually along streams and rivers. The College of Agriculture works with agricultural and forestry interests, including faculty in the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Range Sciences, to maintain and enhance riparian areas. These areas are essential to water quality because they act as filters and prevent debris from entering the waterway. The shade these areas provide also moderates water temperature, which is important for fish and other organisms.

College programs include:

Educate farmers, ranchers and rural residents on positive impacts of healthy riparian areas on sedimentation and sediment control
Provide sound livestock management guidelines to ranchers
Determine ways to decrease sedimentation in riparian zones from adjacent arable land

Bioremediation
Bioremediation involves the use of microorganisms to clean up soils or waters that have been contaminated. The microorganisms are introduced into the contaminated soil or water zone and subsequently break down targeted chemicals (both agricultural and industrial) into harmless by-products. Bioremediation research projects in the College of Agriculture are located primarily in the Department of Bacteriology and Biochemistry. Faculty in the College of Agriculture also work cooperatively with the University of Idaho Hazardous Waste Center.

Research projects include work to:

Isolate microorganisms capable of breaking down agrichemicals when injected into a contaminated area
Contain microorganisms after application to an aquifer or soil
Enhance the effectiveness of microbial breakdown of contaminants
Detoxify pesticide containers and waste disposal sites

Domestic Water Quality
The College of Agriculture addresses domestic water quality issues via its extension system. Extension provides programs and information in the following areas:

Water storage and treatment
Water sampling and testing
Waste water disposal
Water sources
Disposal of hazardous materials
Laundry and detergents
Graywater disposal and use

Youth Programs
Extension faculty provide programming for Idaho youth on natural resource issues. Natural resource camps and 4-H program activities address water issues and their importance to Idaho.

For additional information:
Contact your local county extension office.

This brochure, WQ-2, was prepared by R. L. Mahler, Water Quality Coordinator, Soil Science Division, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844-2339.

3M, 3-91

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All contents copyright © 1997-2003.
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Idaho.
All rights reserved.

Revised: January 3, 2003

URL: http://www.uidaho.edu/wq/wqbr/wqbr2.html