ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION SERIES
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Agriculture & Natural Resources

EXTENSION ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, AUBURN UNIVERSITY, AL 36849-5647
Primary Environmental Concerns In Alabama
ANR-718, 1992, Jesse C. LaPrade, Extension Environmental Specialist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Community Resource Development, Auburn University
Environment Defined
      Webster defines environment as, “the circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded,” and, “the complex of climatic, edaphic, and biotic factors that act upon an organism or an ecological community and ultimately determine its form and survival.”

Pollution Defined And Characterized
    Pollution contaminates the environment and has the ability to disrupt or change biological processes that are necessary for constructive growth. For the past 25 years, environmental scientists have carried out comprehensive efforts to improve surface water quality, largely through programs to control municipal and industrial point sources of pollution. These efforts have become increasingly evident as point source pollution has been reduced.

Nonpoint Source Pollution And Where It Comes From
    Nonpoint source pollution can originate from a variety of natural processes such as geologic erosion, saline seeps, and dissolution of nutrient-rich rocks and soils. Human activities that contribute to nonpoint source pollution include forestry operations, mining, construction excavations, and agriculture.

 Nonpoint Source Pollution From Alabama Agriculture
    The primary concern about agricultural nonpoint sources of pollution is potential risk from manufactured nutrients (fertilizers) and pesticide materials. These chemicals can move into surface waters, either attached to soil particles from agricultural land or dissolved in runoff. They can infiltrate the soil profile to contaminate groundwater supplies, thus, polluting our environment. Another source of agricultural pollution arises from animal wastes. In Alabama, animal wastes are considered to be the primary agricultural pollution problem. Alabama is second in the nation in poultry production. Concentrated poultry production units now result in large amounts of on-farm wastes, including litter and carcasses that must be utilized or disposed of in an environmentally safe manner. Refer to the Poultry By-Product Handbook for environmentally sound techniques to deal with animal waste.
    Non-agricultural pollution sources that are of primary concern in Alabama include solid waste disposal, on-site sewage disposal by septic tank users, and urban runoff.
    Auburn University (in cooperation with a multitude of state, federal, and private agencies) is Currently participating in research and Extension programs to address all of these environmental concerns from a multi-disciplinary approach.
    This handbook provides techniques for managing fertilizer and pesticide use on the farm and home grounds in order to maintain environmental quality.
For more information, call your county Extension office. Look in your telephone directory under your county's name for the number.
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work in agriculture and home economics, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, and other related acts, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) offers educational programs, materials, and equal opportunity employment to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability.

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