3 Farmer Amy also lives in Northgrove She irrigates her fiel

3. Farmer Amy also lives in Northgrove. She irrigates her fields and the water flows off the field, carrying nitrates into the Blugreen River. Analyze whether Farmer Amy needs a Clean Water Act permit. (7 points)

Solution

High nitrates levels in groundwater are impacting and restricting use of water suppiles in some areas.Nitrogen is a primary nutrient for a plant growth.Nitrogen is also a primary component of crop fertilizers but when nitrogen is not used by crop plants,it can convert to nitrates and move with groundwater in the soil.According to the Clean Water Act(CWA), crops need nitrogen for growth.Compliance with regulations or court ordered restrictions will likely result in yields because farmer liability could focus on excess, not adequate ,nitrogen for crops.It is not always clear whether excess nitrates in a field can be linked with a specific well on a property.Regulatory and court ordered solutions will reduce productivity and increase costs for farmers and the farm economy To achieve maximum productivity, adequate nutrients need to be present in the soil root zone and available for plant growth.Similarly adequate drainage to remove soil water quickly assures better yields in many years when the soil profile in the root zone would have too much moisture or water.Monitoring of key nitrogen cycle parameters, fertilizer application technology and ground water runoff need to be reviewed and optimization for crop production and reducing excess nitrates.