--My Backyard
--My Farm

--Rain Barrels
--Rain Gardens
--RiverSmart Tips

--Water Conservation
--Composting
--Nutrient Management
--Mulching
--Pest Management
--Terracing
--Tree Planting
--Backyard Conservation
--Wildlife Habitat
--Backyard Wetland

--EPA Dos and Don'ts

--Nonpoint Source Pollutants

--What is a Watershed?

MY FARM

Everyone can be part of the solution

Everything we do on land affects our local water quality. Rain washes the effects of all our activies into streams and rivers. Rain is called stormwater. By helping rain/stormwater soak into the ground instead of rushing to the stream, each of us can help keep our rivers and streams cleaner.

A variety of farm activities can affect water quality, including applications of fertilizer, plowing (which can result in soil washing into streams), and livestock operations (livestock waste washing into streams can cause algae blooms and lead to low dissolved oxygen).

Before development, a large portion of most rain soaked into the ground to join groundwater or be used up by plants. Today we have so much pavement and so many rooftops (impervious cover), that rain never has a chance to soak in. It hits our roof and runs into the gutter which flows onto our driveway. From there it flows to the street and into the nearest stormdrain, making it to the stream in record time.