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BMPs For Cleaner
Rivers
Livestock producers in Montana are taking better care of local streams
and rivers, thanks to a Montana State sponsored course in  “Stream
and Riparian Area Management.” Sixty percent of the participants
have developed or modified their grazing management plans as a result
of the home-study course. And since 1991, California Extension
educators have helped producers keep 720,000 tons of sediment from
washing into the San Joaquin River and the Sacramento Delta, and
helped trap 1,300 pounds of pesticide residues that had threatened
river wildlife. The best management practices included the use of
sediment ponds, water management and soil-stabilizing polymers to
reduce suspended solids in irrigation water. Along the Truckee River, University
of Nevada, Reno Extension made 43 site-visits to help small-ranch
managers develop and implement BMPs for reducing water pollution.
Residents have adopted 137 BMPs so far to help stem pollution that
contaminates the river.
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