EPA Protect Farmworkers & Where's the Water Going

EPA Protect Farmworkers & Where's the Water Going

EPA Protect Farmworkers & Where's the Water Going. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

Yesterday, EPA announced revisions to its worker protection standard to protect the nation's two million farm workers and their families from pesticide exposure. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.

McCARTHY: This is a really big step forward to protect the nation's two million farm workers and their families from pesticide exposure. The rule covering farms, forests, nurseries and greenhouses has not been updated for 20 years.

Updates to the rule include a minimum age requirement of 18 years old to handle pesticides. Mandatory worker training is now required annually and is being expanded. EPA has expanded the mandatory posting of no entry signs and they are now requiring record keeping that needs to include pesticide applications and worker training must be kept for 2 years. Also changes in protective gear have been announced. The full list of changes is available at EPA.GOV.

Data from the U.S. Geological Survey shows that in Idaho irrigation and aquaculture are the main suers of water in the state. Idaho's top counties consuming the most drinking water are in southern Idaho, away from the state's more populated regions and in the heart of the state's desert climate with Twin Falls County at the top of the list using an estimated 962 million gallons a day for irrigation and 470 million gallons a day for aquaculture uses.

That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network of the West.

Previous ReportGypsy Moth & Salmonella Outbreak
Next ReportPushing Cuba & Pesticide Stewardship