Seeing is believing: hands-on tools for education on non-point source pollution

Abstract

It is sometimes difficult for people to understand that they are contributing to non-point source pollution because it is by definition diffuse and it is difficult to visualize. Over the past several years, the Agricultural Pollution Prevention program of the University of Georgia, College of Agricultural and Environmental Science, Cooperative Extension Service has used hands-on educational tools to show people the connections between everyday activities and water quality problems. These tools include: groundwater models illustrating the connections between septic tanks, wells, lakes, and groundwater; a table-top rainfall simulator comparing erosion on soils with different amounts of cover; in-stream water quality monitoring with high school and community groups; and on-farm workshops demonstrating wholefarm management practices to reduce non-point source pollution. These tools have been effective in helping people identify sources of non-point source pollution and understand practices they can use to reduce impacts. A demonstration during the exhibits will showcase several of these tools as a companion to this paper. The Agricultural Pollution Prevention program has these tools available for people to use in educational programs.