Approximately 75 percent of the lakes and ponds and 95 percent of the estuaries are meeting their uses. Approximately 50 percent of all water pollution is caused by agricultural activities, much of that coming from erosion. In order to reduce nonpoint source pollution, it is important that good agricultural practices that produce high yields while preserving our natural resources be used. The surest way to have waters that are safe for drinking, recreation, and aquatic habitat is to protect them before we pollute them. Each of us lives in a river basin, so what we do on the land ends up affecting water quality.
River basins are simply the areas that drain into a river.
Once water begins to run over the land, it can pick up pollutants, such as pesticides, sediment, or phosphorus. As water continues to move into streams, these pollutants are carried along with the runoff. These streams and tributaries then deliver their pollution load to lakes, rivers, estuaries, or oceans. Reducing or eliminating pollution from farms helps protect small streams on the farm as well as the waters downstream. Most practices that producers use to reduce or control pollution also protect the farm resources and often actually save producers money.