1999-10-28_AgendaPacket - Laserfiche WebLink

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i ~: -_, ~ ~. ~. T.~ ~ ~-.~ _ _~. ~ _ I '1 ~ ~`' ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ,' ~ ~/~--~~ f~ f ~ ~J ~~~~d~~n`~a~b`~~ x~~ V~4~ana~r~~ ~ mod., ~'. ~s ---- - d . by C.~. Bylander Increase in potafo farming prompts deeper look at nitrate issues -Rice, Minn -The year was 1969. And John Wojtanowicz knew something had to change. Wojtanowicz was the new owner of the family farm - a farm that grew from the hard work of his grandfather, a Polish immigrant who came to America in the late 1890s. The sandy land had gone from grandpa to dad to mother to brother. Now it was John's. He knew the soil would support crops...but barely. "For the first few years I owned the faun all I got was 40 bushels of corn to the acre. That wasn't going to work," said Wojtanowicz. "So, I drilled my first well in 1969. That was the beginning. Now I have about 30 wells and 27 irrigation systems over 3,000 acres. Today, one out of every four potatoes grown in Minne- sota is grown in the Rice area. I realized long ago that irrigation was the answer." Imgation, ironically, also appears to be the prob- lem. Irrigation at Wojtanowicz's Prairie Farm Company is being analyzed as a potential source of elevated nitrate levels in certain domestic wells near the com- munity of Rice, a small town of about 700 people about 15 miles north of St. Cloud. The 27 center-pivot irrigation systems nourish seed corn, Russet Burbank potatoes and specialty beans. Cumulatively, the sys- terns can spray upwards of 400 million gallons each year according to the terms of Wojtanowicz's water appropriation permits. As this water gradually soaks into the soil, it sometimes carries with it nitrogen fertilizer that plants cannot or do not use. The process of nutrient-rich water percolating through the soil and into the groundwater is called leaching. This can lead to an increase in nitrate levels in nearby wells. The state's drinking water standards for nitrate levels (10 parts per million) may be exceeded in some instances. Nitrate, which comes from both natural and man- made sources such as animal waste and fertilizer, is the most widespread chemical of concern in the state's ground water. High nitrate levels pose health risks to infants age six months or younger. Infants can develop a condition called methemoglobinemia ("Blue Baby Syndrome") from drinking water that contains high continued on page 2... -Flood Damage Reduction Grant Assistance Program ..:.............:. ... .......... .......... .... ..3 Coming- Soon .....:....:..................:......:.:..............:.. ..5 History of Early- Floods in the I~ Red River Valley -April 1897 ........................... ..6 '~ FEMA Map Modernization....: ............................. ..7 ', NF1P Quick Facts ................................................: ..8 From the Director .....:.............................................9 Climate Update ..................................................... 10 Contact 1-877-FEMA MAP .................................. 13 Announcements .................................................... 14 What Exactly is a 100-Year Flood? ...................... 15