
Preventing Water Pollution at Home
- A Home Gardener’s Guide to Soils and Fertilizers – Detailed information on soil structure and fertility. How irrigation works in the soil. Discusses organic and synthetic fertilizers and creating and using compost.
- Biochar – A Gardener’s Primer – Learn what biochar is and how it can enhance soil fertility and filter water pollutants.
- Hortsense – Website with fact sheets on all types of home gardening pest or disease problems.
- Iron in Drinking Water – How to test and treat for iron in drinking water.
- Low Impact Development (LID) – Series of useful links to learn more about LID water filtering techniques that can help reduce pollution in stormwater.
- Phosphorus and Home Lawns: Quick Facts and Recommendations – How to apply lawn fertilizers to avoid causing water pollution.
- Rain Garden Handbook for Western Washington – Guide for the design, installation and maintenance of rain gardens. 96 pages (19 MB).
On the Farm and Ranch
- Fertilizing with Manure – A publication for the small to mid-sized crop producer to assist in more efficiently managing nutrients from manures. Focus is on crop growth but addresses water quality contamination concerns.
- Field Flooding for Controlling Soilborne Plant Pathogens in Western Washington – The Nature Conservancy of Washington’s Farming for Wildlife project, in cooperation with WSU, has been testing a novel concept of creating habitat for shorebirds on potato fields by employing field flooding.
- High Residue Farming Under Irrigation: What and Why – Explains cropping systems in which less tillage is used in order to keep crop residue on the surface of a field which provides benefits to soils and crops and conserves water.
- Livestock Management and Water Quality – Bulletin on how to address water quality problems for the safety of livestock and the environment.
- Pasture and Grazing Management in the Northwest – 208 page book (5 MB)covering all aspects of pasture management [not specific to water quality]. Also may order for $18.
- Protecting Your Water Quality Through a Farm and Home Assessment – Checklist for assessing water in your home and farm.
- Soil Testing: A Guide for Farms with Diverse Vegetable Crops – Presents a comprehensive and affordable procedure for implementing an annual soil-testing program for farms with diverse vegetable crops. (5MB)
- Using Biodegradable Plastics as Agricultural Mulches – Fact sheet discussing the current research on the suitability of biodegradable plastic mulches for agricultural uses.
- WSU Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Safety – Workshops, training and recertification website.
To Report an Oil Spill
- First call the National Response Center: 1-800-424-8802
- Then contact the Washington State Emergency Management Division: 1-800-258-5990
- If the spill is in the Pacific States or British Columbia also call: 1-800-OILS-911 (1-800-645-7911)
Where to get more information
Many agencies and organizations work on water quality issues. See our Links and Partners page for more.