ABSTRACT
Ground water quality studies have been conducted in selected areas of Delaware during the last decade. The most significant finding was that elevated nitrate nitrogen levels in the ground water above the federal interim drinking water standard had resulted from overuse of commercial fertilizers and improper storage and use of poultry manure and septic tank wastewater. The highest nitrate concentrations occurred on excessively drained soils under intensive agricultural production. The development of the Environmental Quality Specialist position in the Delaware Extension System occurred in late 1980. The goals were to plan, develop, and conduct educational programs to assist farmers and landowners with planning and implementing practices related to the control of rural nonpoint source pollution. A manure testing program was developed along with fact sheets on manure spreader calibration techniques. Facilitating change in management techniques is a slow and laborious process.
