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Environmental Quality Indicator . <br /> ,. <br /> 16 <br /> 8-0 <br /> i, <br /> , i <br /> F I '. <br /> 1{ <br /> Why indicator As soil moves with rainfall runoff on agricultural lands , so move the t <br /> was selected nutrients and pesticides attached to the soil particles . The nutrients and <br /> pesticides also may be transported in solution with rainwater. Proper <br /> land treatment practices , such as the installation of Best Management <br /> Practices ( BMP 's ) can reduce the amount of soil ( sediment) , nutrients , <br /> and pesticides which reach water bodies . BMP 's include practices such <br /> as grassed waterways , stri cropping , field borders conservation tillage, <br /> , <br /> terraces , and crop rotation . Besides damaging water quality, soil loss <br /> can also reduce the productivity of agricultural soils upon which we allI lql <br /> depend for food and fiber. c <br /> How indicator j The figures in the attached graph were derived from the Wake Soil and Al <br /> g g p <br /> was measured i Water Conservation District using its annual reporting data . The figures <br /> measure the soil resources conserved by the installation of new BMP 's <br /> t: . <br /> in tons per year. The figures do not represent existing BMP 's and their <br /> ongoing benefits . The significant increase in soil savings in the 1993/94 <br /> year was due to new federal legislation requiring BMP installation and <br /> r'4 <br /> the subsequent reporting of those activities . + <br /> The trend Wake County is above average in the installation of new BMP 's as <br /> in Wake County j compared to the 33 other Piedmont North Carolina counties based <br /> I <br /> on total cropland acres . Nationally, it ranks above the median for <br /> comparable soils and land use . <br /> f Government agencies provide local landowners with technical <br /> The Wake County assistance for designing and installing BMP 's . For many years , Wake <br /> Government reoponoei, County has contributed one of the highest levels of funding in the state <br /> to this effort . Because of this local support, Wake County has been <br /> able to take full advantage of Federal and State cost share programs over <br /> the years . These programs cover up to 75 percent of the cost of installing <br /> BMP 's on agricultural lands . <br /> 23 <br />