Water Management - Introduction
Table of Contents
- Pathways of Water
- Pathways of Pollution
- An Ontario Perspective
- Available in Published Version of Water Management
Water is a precious resource. The success of your farm business and the
health of your family depend on having a clean and abundant supply.
Water is also a shared resource. Water used on your farm, whether for
livestock, laundry, drinking, or mixing with pesticides, has been used
by other people, fish and wildlife before you, and will be used by them
again after it leaves your farm.
As a user of water, you have a right to expect an ample supply of clean
water to meet your needs.
Likewise, it's expected that water leaving your farm, either through
evaporation, infiltration to groundwater, or surface runoff, will still
be abundant and clean for the next user.
Historically, agricultural technology has allowed us to manipulate
the quantity and quality of water supplies to increase productivity.
Today, new technology, and a better understanding of natural processes,
can help you protect your water while maintaining productivity.
This book will show you practical ways to conserve water and safeguard
its quality. The following sections separate the farm operation into
four areas:
-
the home
- the barn and other farm buildings
- the field
- wetlands, watercourses, woodlots, and ponds.

Figure 1. Farming influences the water cycle. Management will
affect the amount of precipitation that infiltrates the ground, how much
flows over the surface, and will even have an impact on evaporation rates.
We recommend that you read this book from start to finish: like the water
cycle itself, each section contains material that has some bearing on
the whole!
But first, a brief look at how water -- and the pollutants it can carry
with it -- pass through our environment. You need to understand the water
cycle before you can develop an effective water management plan for your
operation.
Pathways of Water
Water is in constant motion, continually recycling through the environment
in a series of pathways called the water cycle.
The water cycle establishes a water balance in every hectare of land
and kilometre of stream. We can affect this balance, positively or negatively,
as we change our land and water use.
Pathways of Pollution
Water is a universal carrier. Its properties enable it to dissolve many
substances, and carry them with its flow. Pollutants can be carried with
water through all phases of the water cycle.
Your farm is part of the overall water cycle, having an impact on both
the surface water that runs over it and the ground water that runs beneath
it.
Normal farming practices involve the use of many substances that can
potentially contaminate water: pesticides, fuel, fertilizers, manure,
to name a few.
These substances can move into surface water, either by being attached
to sediment eroded from agricultural land, or dissolved in runoff. They
can infiltrate soil to contaminate ground water supplies.
An Ontario Perspective
Most of Ontario's agricultural production lies within the Great Lakes
- St. Lawrence River basin. This is the largest fresh surface water system
in the world. It holds 20 percent of the world's available fresh water.
As the number of water users in Ontario continues to increase, there
are greater demands on our water supplies. When planning for the future
we must ensure that water is used as efficiently as possible and protected
from pollution.
Water is the common property of all Ontario citizens. To protect our
water resources and all who use them, a variety of laws and regulations
are in place.

Figure 2. Average Canadian Home Water Use - 20% Laundry and dishes,
35% Showers and baths, 5% Drinking and cooking and 40% Toilets.
A summary of this
legislation can be found in the last section of this Water Management
online book.
Available in Published Version of Water Management
- Composition of Earth's Freshwater - Chart
- The Water Cycle
Best
Management Practices: Water Management
For more information:
Toll Free: 1-877-424-1300
Local: (519) 826-4047
E-mail: ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca
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