Date of Award

1993

Degree Type

Major Paper

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Marine Affairs

Abstract

Agricultural nonpoint source pollution is the pollution coming from agricultural production, which has no clear origin. It comes from a diffuse source, such as a farm field or an animal holding area. While programs and studies probe every facet of point sources and extol the efforts of point source clean-up, the relatively more difficult task of identifying nonpoint sources and the process of proposing to do something about them has been largely ignored. Reducing the adverse impacts on the environment from farm related activities requires knowledge of the various pollutants and how pollutant pathways can be interrupted. Nutrients, and pesticides leach through the soil contaminating ground water supplies. Animal waste adds nutrients and bacteria to the water column, and erosion carries with it what runoff doesn't wash away. Even so, little effort is made to identify the problem and even less is done to implement best management techniques that would mitigate the problem. This especially true along the Minnesota-Wisconsin coast of Lake Superior, and in particular the St. Louis River Basin.

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