Ground-state farms

The protection of ground and surface water has major environmental priority because any contamination may cause a risk for its use in human and animal nutrition and may disturb aquatic biocoenosis. The OECD-indicator list (OECD 1997) subsummarises state and risk assessment approaches under this issue. We will confine our efforts to indicators that are appropriate to evaluate the impact of different farm management practices. 

The pesticide can enter the ground with rains. It can remain intact or be degraded to metabolites that may or may not be toxic. Rain can also carry some of it into the nearest lake or river.56 Fertilizers can be moved in the same way. They can cause eutrophication of lakes and rivers. Ground-water contamination57 by farm or ranch runoff has been reported in 44 states in the United States.58 Half of the wells for drinking water in the United States contain nitrates. (Nitrates can come from fertilizers or animal wastes. In sufficient amounts, they can cause depletion of oxygen in the... 

Iowa. The State of Iowa Geological Survey and the Department of Water, Air, and Waste Management continue to aggressively monitor for pesticides in ground water in many areas of the state (47-50). EPA/OPP is collaborating with the University of Iowa and the IGS in a two-year stratified random survey of wells and farm fields in four types of hydrogeologic environments. 

Biodegradable pesticides can be extremely persistent when present in the soil at unusually high concentrations (6-10), which contributes to an increased risk of surface and ground water contamination. When a business has a major contamination incident, state or federal regulatory agencies can order a cleanup, but such action is more difficult for private farms and residences. The nature of the cleanup is more problematic. Contaminated soil is excavated and removed to a "secure" landfill. The end result is perhaps a cleaner site, but the waste has not been detoxified. 

One of the most challenging environmental problems faced by the Emiratis is the water issue. Ground water depletion is a serious problem in this milieu. The water consumption today in the UAE is 3501 (370 quarts) per person per day in the UAE, that can be compared to USAs number of 4251 (449 quarts) per person per day. The greening projects demand large amounts of water, and the previous expansion rate of 3,000 new farms every year has been restricted. The water consumption rate is expected to be almost double in 2015. One of the problems is that desalinated water is available at very low price and subsidized by the government. The low price level does not motivate users to save water. (State of the Environment Abu Dhabi, 2008). 

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