KANSAS AG SERVICE CENTER*A*SYST Water Quality Protection Assessment
KANSAS AG SERVICE CENTER*A*SYST Water Quality Protection Assessment This checklist is intended to help your agriculture service center think about its water supply and the impact its operations have on the environment, especially on surface and groundwater quality. The checklist is designed for you to self-assess environmental risks your facility poses to nearby surface and groundwater. Use the checklists to identify areas that need work in order to minimize risk to your on-site or community drinking water sources. We then recommend you develop a plan of action to reduce contaminants coming from your operations, or call the following organization for assistance with this undertaking: The Kansas Small Business Assistance Program (SBEAP) will provide free, confidential assistance to help ag service centers identify environmental compliance problems; help set a goal and develop a program to prevent pollution in all aspects of operations; and train employees in hazardous waste handling, spill response and reporting plans, and storm water protection measures.
General Housekeeping and other best management practices are not just busywork but tasks that protect surface and groundwater quality, reduce waste, and make a safer work environment. Good housekeeping and best management practices show the professionalism and environmental consciousness of your facility to customers, neighbors, and regulatory officials. Are operations areas cleaned regularly? Are collection buckets used to catch drips when connecting or disconnecting hoses? Are drains and sumps kept free of debris? Are document inspections, major maintenance, or major repair files kept on site or at the nearest administration office? Pesticide/fertilizer storage and handling It is your responsibility to sell, handle, and apply chemicals so they do not become sources of water, soil, or air contamination. Your operation must comply with Kansas Department of Agriculture regulations. Are all liquid tanks and bulk chemicals stored inside a diked area? Are agrichemicals stored in a separate area to prevent possible contamination of animal feed, grain, fertilizer, or other materials? Are flammable/combustible materials segregated from all ignition sources? Is the secondary containment volume adequate to hold at least 110% of the largest single tank within the containment area? (Remember to calculate the displacement volume of the other tanks in this area.) Is rainwater captured in your diked area and collected for use in your pesticide application blends or mixes? Are all pipes, valves, and hoses located within a containment structure? Are spills cleaned up immediately and leaks repaired as soon as they are found? Are contained fluids reused in product mixes? Are all pesticide mini-bulk tanks stored in an area that would prohibit runoff into streams, ditches, or wellheads? Are all containers kept closed except during transfer operations?
Pesticide/fertilizer storage and handling (continued) Is the mixer located within a containment area capable of holding its contents? Is product loading performed over a load-out pad with a collection sump? Can the load-out pad containment system handle the volume of the largest transport truck? Is the load-out pad constructed in a manner to prevent excessive drainage of rainwater runoff into its collection sump? Is all equipment field-rinsed? Is all equipment at the facility rinsed upon return from the field? Is rinsate collected and reused if equipment is rinsed at the facility? Is rinsate segregated by crop type to facilitate reuse? Is on-site equipment washed down on a rinse pad? Are washwater/rinsate collected and reused? Is a pump available for emptying the rinse-pad sump? Is liquid collected from the rinse-pad sump stored in an aboveground tank? Is the rinse-water storage container connected to a mix tank to facilitate reuse? Is there proof of compliance with Kansas Department of Agriculture regulations? Spill prevention, control, and containment planning The objective of containment is to prevent spills and releases of chemicals to soil, surface water, and groundwater. To minimize impact to the environment, be prepared to respond to a spill or release should one occur. Train all employees in prevention and response. Are necessary materials maintained on site for spill response involving small incidents (absorbent material, recovery drums, personal protective equipment, and tools)? Is there a preventative maintenance program for critical spill response and safety equipment at your facility? Are there signs with local, state, and federal reporting and response numbers posted in visible locations and near potential risk areas (i.e., fueling and chemical-transfer areas)? Is there an accessible inventory of potential pollutants from your facility (CERCLA, Community Right-to-Know, Risk Management Plan)? Are employees trained on who to call and how to report and respond to a spill, if needed? Are containment structures routinely inspected for cracks, leaks, or spills? Are inspections, major maintenance, or major repairs and files on site documented at the nearest administration office?
Liquid fuel storage and handling As with pesticides and fertilizer, petroleum products have the potential to cause harm to the environment. It is important that tanks and piping are in good condition and that secondary containment is provided. Are fuel tanks properly installed and permitted (permits required for aboveground tanks 660 gallons or greater and underground tanks 110 gallons or greater)? Are only on-site fuel tanks located above ground with secondary containment? Is secondary containment volume adequate to hold at least 110% of the largest single tank within the containment area? (Remember to calculate the displacement volume of the other tanks.) Is the rainwater captured in your diked area checked for lack of oil sheen prior to releasing? Are containment structures routinely inspected for cracks, leaks, or spills? Are spills cleaned up immediately and leaks repaired as soon as they are found? Are all underground petroleum tanks and pipes equipped with leakdetection and corrosion-protection systems? Are fuel and product tanks and piping protected from vehicle collisions? Is there proof of compliance with Kansas Department of Health and Environment regulations? Grain storage and handling Never dispose of grain in a creek, ditch, or other type of drainage path. Is grain in bins, silos, tanks, or other grain storage structures? Is spilled grain immediately cleaned up and disposed of properly? Is waste feed composted rather than disposed of in a landfill? Are fumigants used according to manufacturer instructions? Water supply and wells Protecting your water supply, whether from an on-site well or public supply well, should be a top priority. Are the depth to groundwater and general direction of groundwater flow beneath your facility known? If on-site wells are used, are they positioned upslope (topography) and upgradient (groundwater) from potential pollution sources?
Water supply and wells (continued) Have the condition and integrity of on-site water wells been inspected within the last three years? Are wellheads elevated or curbed to prevent spills or surface runoff from entering the wells? Is the separation distance from potential pollution sources at least 50 feet? Are all wells and water lines protected against back-siphoning by use of air gaps, a back-flow check valve, or other mechanism? Has water from on-site water wells been analyzed within the past year for the type of chemicals handled at the facility? Are locations of private and public water supply wells nearest to the facility known? Are there abandoned or inactive wells on site? Have abandoned wells been plugged according to KDHE requirements, and are plugging reports on file with KDHE? Is the water supply source used to serve more than 25 people for more than 60 days per year? Is the facility within a public water supply protection area? Waste and wastewater management Proper management of solid waste and wastewater is critical. Objectives should include the following: reducing or minimizing the amount of waste generated reusing and recycling waste materials disposing of wastes in accordance with local, state, and federal requirements Does the facility generate any hazardous waste? Has the hazardous waste generator category been determined? Is there need for an EPA identification number? Is the facility connected to a community sanitary system? Have precautions been taken against the discharge of pesticides, fertilizer, or other chemical contaminants or process wastes into the sanitary sewer or septic tank system? If a septic system is used, are the septic tank and lateral field capacities adequate for the facility? If a lagoon is used, does it consistently have adequate freeboard and vegetation? Is the on-site waste treatment system located downslope of the drinking water well(s)? Is the on-site waste treatment system less than five years old? Does the lateral field use an effluent (tank) filter? Has the septic tank been pumped within four years?
Waste and wastewater management (continued) Is storm water diverted away from the septic system and lateral? Is the lateral field covered with dense perennial grass? Is the lateral field restricted from traffic and equipment storage? Do shop floor drains go to a septic tank, lateral field, or lagoon? Have on-site storage or disposal of any wastewater or sludges in unlined pits, ponds, or lagoons been eliminated? Are all used-pesticide containers tripled-rinsed or pressure-rinsed prior to disposal or recycling? Are all other wastes generated on site shipped off site for recycling or disposal at permitted facilities? Are waste storage containers properly labeled? Storm water and erosion management The number one pollutant in surface water in the U.S. is silt and sediment from erosion. Is soil at the site covered with turf or mulch, eliminating bare soil? Does the roof drain to the lawn, instead of discharging to pavement or directly to storm drains? Is the landscaping such that surface drainage is slowed to off-site areas (ditch, adjacent landowner) with thick vegetation buffers? Is storm water on the site prevented from coming in contact with fertilizer or agrichemical products? Is discharge of runoff of contaminated storm water from the site diverted into a nearby stream or ditch? Is storm water collected and sampled before discharge? Are there on-site areas or runoff areas that are barren or have distressed vegetation? Equipment/vehicle maintenance and repair There is good potential for recycling wastes generated from equipment and vehicle maintenance. Used oil, anti-freeze, solvents, and batteries are recyclable. Is used oil stored in containers properly labeled used oil, NOT waste oil? Is used oil recycled? Is used oil safely stored on site in separate, properly labeled containers (without mixing in solvents or other wastes) prior to recycling? Are spent degreasing solvents, cleaning solvents, and other flammable liquids safely stored on site prior to pickup by a solvent-recycling firm?
Equipment/vehicle maintenance and repair (continued) Are waste automotive batteries returned for recycling? Are vehicles and/or vehicle parts (engines) washed? For further information Additional information or assistance can be obtained from the following resources: Kansas State University Pollution Prevention Institute 133 Ward Hall Manhattan, KS 66506 Telephone: 800-578-8898 Web site: www.sbeap.org Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association 816 SW Tyler Topeka, KS 66612 Telephone: 785-234-0463 Web site: www.kansasag.org/kara/ Kansas Grain & Feed Association 816 SW Tyler Topeka, KS 66612 Telephone: 785-234-0463 Web site: www.kansasag.org/kgfa/ Notice of nondiscrimination Kansas State University is committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of race, sex, national origin, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, or other nonmerit reasons, in admissions, educational programs or activities and employment (including employment of disabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam Era), as required by applicable laws and regulations. Responsibility for coordination of compliance efforts and receipt of inquiries concerning Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1984, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, has been delegated to Clyde Howard, Director of Affirmative Action, Kansas State University, 214 Anderson Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506 0124, 785-532-6220.