Which of the following is an example of a BMP for controlling agricultural runoff in nonpoint source pollution?

Which of the following is an example of a BMP for controlling agricultural runoff in nonpoint source pollution?

• A. A limit on fertilizer application rates only.
• B. Nutrient management plans, cover crops, and vegetative buffer strips to reduce nutrient and sediment runoff.
• C. Construction of lined wastewater lagoons.
• D. Rapid disposal of agricultural waste via open fields.

Answer: (B)

Best Management Practices for agricultural runoff are practical measures used on farms to reduce nutrient and sediment losses into waterways. The option that includes nutrient management plans, cover crops, and vegetative buffer strips directly implements these aims by addressing how fertilizer is used, how soil is protected, and how runoff is filtered before it leaves the field. Nutrient management plans optimize the timing and amount of fertilizer to minimize excess nutrients that can be carried away by rain. Cover crops keep the soil surface protected when crops aren’t growing, reducing erosion and helping to capture residual nutrients. Vegetative buffer strips along field edges slow and trap runoff, grab sediment, and uptake nutrients before they reach streams. Together, these practices tackle both nutrient and sediment runoff, which is characteristic of BMPs for nonpoint source pollution. Other options are less effective because they focus on a single measure or on containment or disposal practices that don’t address diffuse runoff across the landscape.

Best Management Practices for agricultural runoff are practical measures used on farms to reduce nutrient and sediment losses into waterways. The option that includes nutrient management plans, cover crops, and vegetative buffer strips directly implements these aims by addressing how fertilizer is used, how soil is protected, and how runoff is filtered before it leaves the field. Nutrient management plans optimize the timing and amount of fertilizer to minimize excess nutrients that can be carried away by rain. Cover crops keep the soil surface protected when crops aren’t growing, reducing erosion and helping to capture residual nutrients. Vegetative buffer strips along field edges slow and trap runoff, grab sediment, and uptake nutrients before they reach streams. Together, these practices tackle both nutrient and sediment runoff, which is characteristic of BMPs for nonpoint source pollution. Other options are less effective because they focus on a single measure or on containment or disposal practices that don’t address diffuse runoff across the landscape.