Farm+Runoff+Causing+Widespread+Drinking+Pollution+in+Midwest

Farm Runoff Causing Widespread Drinking Pollution in Midwest Environmental Working Group, April 19, 2018 Link to Article: [|https://www.ewg.org/release/farm-runoff-causing-widespread-drinking-water-pollution-midwest#.WtlBySPMyfQ]

The article found on the EWG (Environmental Working Group) discuesses how the U.S. Department of Agriculture is not enforcing a farm bill that prevents soil erosion and runoff from polluting nearby water sources. This "conservation compact" was made between taxpayers and farmers in 1985. It was essentially pollution prevention in exchange for billions in farm subsidies. Now, when it rains, small channels, called gullies, form along fields and create "drainage pathways" that make it easier for fertilizers, sediments, and manure to pollute nearby rivers, streams, or lakes. An easy solution for this is simply planting vegetation along the gullies, but its been discovered that farms in Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa, and Illinois are unprotected under the "conservation compact" and are constantly allowing fertilizer and other materials to runoff into water sources.
 * Summary:**


 * Relation to Class:**

Recently, our class did a reading specifically on water pollution. During this chapter, definitions of point source and nonpoint sources were given. A point source is defined as discharge pollutants at specific locations through pipes, ditches, or sewers into bodies of surface water while a nonpoint source is defined as sources that cannot be traced to any single site of discharge (Miller 537). According to these definitions, the fertilizer runoff pollution from farms would be described as a point source because it's runoff from a specific farm that could be pinpointed back to.

In my opinion, I believe that we should continue doing more to try and prevent fertilizer runoff. I also feel that the conservation compact made in 1985 was a slightly risky agreement. It seems to me, that there wasn't much policing on this compact and it wouldn't be hard to receive subsidies for prevention pollution while also not preventing pollution. I also feel that if this compact were to continue, it would have to get better at protecting lands involved in the compact. By doing this, it ensures that gullies won't be very disadvantageous to pollution prevention and the compact would be so much more productive.
 * Opinion:**

The Farm Act of 1985 established a strategy for reducing soil erosion in the U.S. Farmers are given subsidy for highly credible land they take out of production and replace with soil saving grass or trees for 10 years. In this act, if a farmer violates their contract, they must pay back all subsidies plus interest. Although the majority of this article describes water pollution from fertilizer runoff, it also discusses trading valuable land for subsidies to try and cut erosion in highly erodible land. I believe that this act is the same as conservation compact that the article was discussing; both involve giving farmers subsidies for land and both aim to stop, or at least slow, erosion.
 * Environmental Law:**

Citation: Graddy, Sarah. “Farm Runoff Causing Widespread Drinking Water Pollution in Midwest.” EWG, 18 Apr. 2018, [|www.ewg.org/release/farm-runoff-causing-widespread-drinking-water-pollution-midwest#.WtlBySPMyfQ.]