Central U.P. Groundwater Stewardship Program

What is the Michigan Groundwater Stewardship Program?
The Michigan Groundwater Stewardship Program (MGSP) is a cooperative effort designed to help individuals reduce the risks of groundwater contamination associated with pesticide and nitrogen fertilizer use. The MGSP is a voluntary, locally driven, and designed to address the concerns of individuals by maintaining a focus on the financial and technical constraints which drive real-world decision. The program is funded through fees that are assessed on sales pf pesticides and nitrogen fertilizers.

Why Protect Groundwater?
Half of Michigan's residents rely on groundwater for their drinking water. Groundwater also recharges our surface waters, which are used for drinking, as well as habitat for fish and other creatures in rivers, streams and lakes. Preventing groundwater contamination is necessary to sustain our health and quality of life here in the Great Lakes State.

How Does the Program Help to Protect Groundwater?
The MGSP helps individuals protect groundwater through a mix of the following elements:

• On-site risk assessment (Farm*A*Syst) - raises awareness of activities which may pose a risk to groundwater.
• Technical assistance - helps individuals implement practices to reduce those risks to groundwater.
• Cost share - provides financial support for the implementation of a variety of groundwater stewardship practices.

Local groundwater stewardship teams work together to ensure that the mix of these elements meets local needs and interest. Local teams may include farmers, commodity groups, agribusiness, health department personnel, citizens and others. The teams also provide a collective voice for pesticide and nitrogen fertilizer users in determining the direction of the statewide program.

MGSP Stewardship Practices...
A number if stewardship practices are available which will help reduce the risk of groundwater contamination, including:

• Farm*A*Syst, Small Farm*A*Syst, Crop*A*Syst, Orchard*A*Syst, Greenhouse*A*Syst
• Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assurance Program
• Abandoned Well Closures
• Emergency Plan/Tube
• Water Testing
• Emergency Pesticide Spill Kit
• Sprayer Tip Nozzles & Recalibration
• Record Keeping Books
• Pesticide storage shed
• Anti-Back Flow Device
• Jet Rinse Nozzle
• Sharps Container
• Etc.

Cost share may be available for some of these practices.

MGSP Educational Materials...
Farm*A*Syst is a user friendly guide to evaluate in and around the farmstead. All assessment materials remain on the farm, so they are completely confidiential. Farmers who complete a Farm*A*Syst onsite with a trained groundwater technician are eligible for techinical assistance and cost-share oppoutunties provided by the MGSP.

The other A*Syst's are expansions of the Farm*A*Syst designed to address risks associated with that particular practice.

Other Program...
Clean Sweep
Spill Response Program
Groundwater Monitoring

Program Accomplishments...
Program participants have implemented thousands of stewardship practices that help protect our state's groundwater supplies. For example more than then:

• 15,000 farm and field assessments have been completed ny Michigan farmers, which identify where changes can be made to help protect groundwater.
• 90,000 individuals have learned how they can make changes in and around their home to reduce the risk of groundwater contamination.
• 6,500 abandoned wells have been properly closed.
• 1,000,000 ounds of pesticides have been disposed of in the Clean Sweep Program.

The Central U.P. Groundwater Stewardship Program covers Alger, Delta, Dickinson, Marquette, Menominee and Schoolcraft counties. For further information, please call your local Conservation District office or the Groundwater Technicina, Holly Wendrick directly at (906) 428-9469 ext. 122.