PESTICIDE -Glossary

Glossary

BACKGROUND

the quality of the soil and water in the area where the pesticide storage facility is to be constructed. By checking background soil and water quality, soil and water testing done any time after construction of the facility will help determine if there is any contamination due to the pesticide facility.

DISSOLUTION
the process whereby mineral or rock material is dissolved due to chemical weathering.

FEDERAL INSECTICIDE, FUNGICIDE, AND RODENTICIDE ACT
Under FIFRA, the EPA has regulatory responsibility for determining whether a pesticide can be, or remain, registered and also for specifying, by label, how the pesticide can be used. This authority is being used to evaluate the leaching potential for individual pesticides. Regulatory actions such as label changes, restricted use classification, and cancellation will continue to be made when needed to protect ground water. These actions on a chemical-by-chemical basis will define the chemicals posing a risk to ground water and establish requirements for using chemicals.

GROUND WATER
the water under the surface of the earth that is found within the pore spaces and cracks between the particles of soil, sand, gravel and bedrock.

HYDROGEOLOGY
the study of the ground water.

LEACHING
the downward transport of dissolved or suspended minerals, fertilizers, pesticides and other substances by water percolating through the soil.

NON-POINT SOURCE CONTAMINATION
the pollution from numerous widespread locations that are hard to identify, such as leaching of pesticides from fields on which they were applied.

NON-POINT SOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Under the Non-point Source Management Program, states can be eligible to receive funding for ground water protection activities, including programs to control pesticide contamination of the ground water.

PESTICIDE
a general name for agricultural chemicals that include:
  • Herbicide - for the control of weeds and other plants
  • Insecticide - for the control of insects
  • Fungicide - for the control of fungi
  • Nematocide - for the control of parasitic worms
  • Rodenticide - for the control of rodents

Effects of a Pesticide Spill POINT SOURCE CONTAMINATION
the pollution from one place that is easy to identify, as this type of contamination is usually characterized by concentrated pesticide or contamination plumes that are relatively localized. This category includes accidental spills and leaks of pesticides on the farm where they are stored and handled in bulk quantities. It also includes backsiphoning of pesticides into irrigation water wells not equipped with proper safety devices. Because of the character of point source contamination, those who are responsible for an incident can often be identified and required to pay for the cleanup. Ground water cleanup can be extremely expensive.


POROSITY
the ratio of the volume of pore (non-rock or non-sediment) spaces in a rock or sediment to the total volume (rock or sediment + pore spaces.

PRIMARY POROSITY
the porosity that develops in sediment during the final stages of sedimentation or is present within the particles during deposition.

SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT
The enactment of amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 1986 provided EPA with a statutory basis for promoting comprehensive protection of the nation's ground water as a vital resource.

SECONDARY POROSITY
in contrast to primary porosity, is the porosity that develops in the rock or sediment after its deposition, by means of such processes a dissolution or fracturing.

VADOSE ZONE
Unsaturated, or aerated, zone of soil above the water table. Some water is contain in this unsaturated zone (Todd, 1967).

WELLHEAD PROTECTION PROGRAM
Under the Wellhead Protection Program, states will delineate areas around public water supply wells and institute management programs to protect these wells from all sources of potential contamination. The EPA may provide financial and technical support for these programs.

ZONE OF SATURATION
the region beneath the vadose zone in which all of the pore spaces between the soil and/or rock particles are filled with water. The upper surface of this zone is called the water table.

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