Pesticide handling areas and biobeds

Ve r1.4 Pe s tic ide Handling Are as and Bio be ds A pre s e ntatio n fo r farme rs , o pe rato rs and advis e rs CAUTION Seek Regulatory Advice Before Building a Biobed Contact the Environment Agency's Agricultural Waste Line for advice 0845 6033113 De ve lo pe d fo r the Cro p Pro te c tio n As s o c iatio n and Ag ric ultural Indus trie s Co nfe de ratio n by ADAS The as s is tanc e o f the Enviro nme nt Ag e nc y, S EPA & the Farming Unio ns is als o ac kno wle dg e d This is part o f the vo luntary initiative to minimis e the e nviro nme ntal impac t o f pe s tic ide s Co nte nts  Main issues  Options for Pesticide Handling Areas  Sizing  Management and operation  Likely costs  Final water disposal Bac kg ro und  Hig h le ve ls o f s o me pe s tic ide s have be e n fo und in s urfac e wate r  In UK wate r c o mpanie s no w ne e d to mix o r tre at wate r to c o mply with the EC Drinking Wate r Dire c tive  S praye r us e , and in partic ular pe s tic ide handling are as , c an be a s ig nific ant s o urc e o f wate r c o ntaminatio n  The Wate r Frame wo rk Dire c tive ide ntifie s prio rity s ubs tanc e s and the ne e d to me e t g o o d e c o lo g ic al s tatus thus indic ating a furthe r ne e d fo r c o mplianc e S o urc e s o f pe s tic ide s in the e nviro nme nt S o urc e s o f pe s tic ide s in the e nviro nme nt De po s itio n Atmo s phe ric o utput, vo latilis atio n Re s idue s in s o il, wate r, c ro p, fo o d, live s to c k,wildlife Cro p pro te c tio n pro duc ts Le ac hing to g ro undwate r Ve te rinary me dic ine s Drainag e / runo ff to s urfac e wate rs Bio c ide s Bo re ho le Re s idue s in wate r s e dime nts /bio ta Bio c ide s Co ns e nte d dis c harg e s Garde n & ame nity pe s tic ide s Catc hme nt S tudie s  In UK, Ge rmany and S we de n – 20-70% pesticide load in surface water catchment is derived from point sources  UK - Rive r Che rwe ll s tudy 1998-2000 – Funded by Bayer CropScience (UK) Ltd – 40% of catchment pesticide load originated from concrete handling/washdown area Pe s tic ide s in wate r: s o urc e s o f c o ntaminatio n Pe s tic ide s in wate r Diffus e Po int S o urc e No n-c ro p us e drift tank filling ro ads drainflo w was te dis po s al pave me nts s urfac e flo w was hing s railways inte rflo w/bas e s e e pag e le ac hing faulty e quipme nt o the r hard s urfac e s s pillag e s ame nity are as S o urc e s o f Farmyard Pe s tic ide Po llutio n Spillage while mixing 28 % 8% 12 % Tank Rinse Water Foil Seals Mud from tractor wheels 17 % 10 % 25 % Results from Year Aventis Cherwell Study Bayer CropScience Cherwell Study Tractor exterior washings Spillage of container washings Co nc re te Filling Are as Typic al c o nc re te filling are as s ho wing c o ntaminatio n and run o ff Be s t Prac tic e - Aims  Minimis e c o ntaminatio n inc ide nts thro ug h g o o d o pe ratio nal ro utine – Limit c o ntaminatio n s pre ad fro m inadve rte nt ac tio ns – Minimis e wate r vo lume s (rain and was hing s ) o n handling are a – S to re e mpty c o ntaine rs s afe ly and uprig ht afte r us e – Dis po s e o f c o ntaine rs fre que ntly and s afe ly as pe rmitte d Thro ug h be s t prac tic e pesticide contamination of water from handling areas can be reduced by as much as 99% Always c o mply with advic e in Co de s o f Prac tic e 10 S praye r lo ading are a - Optio ns  Co nc re te – with / without portable bund – with permanent bund » drained to sump » drained to treatment -biobed or chemical  S o il / g ras s  Drive o ve r s ys te m » drained to sump » drained to treatment - biobed or chemical 28 Biobe ds - Function, location and size  Ho w the y wo rk? – By locking up the pesticides and then providing conditions for enhanced microbial degradation of the active ingredients over time  Lo c atio n – A biobed can be sited independently from the loading area, taking account of local drainage, access, groundwater risks, contours etc  S ize – Where a 24 m, 3000 l sprayer has been used then x x m deep bed has been satisfactory, though local rainfall and frequency of use will influence final size Biobeds should always be at least 1m deep 29 Biobe ds - Components  The bio mix mate rials c o uld be varie d fro m the mix s ug g e s te d Guidanc e mus t be s o ug ht to e ns ure re quire d pro pe rtie s e xis t  Turf c o ve r o ve r the bio mix is vital to e nc o urag e the bio lo g ic al ac tivity o f the mix and as s is t in the manag e me nt o f the mo is ture s tatus o f the bio mix  Effic ie nt dis tributio n o f the wate r o ve r the bio be d s urfac e is c o ns ide re d c ritic al, drip irrig atio n is s ug g e s te d at 400 mm s pac ing Drip he ade r pipe Go o d turf g ro wth 30 S izing S ummary Lo ading are a with working allowances, guidance only, best to measure unit on site Sprayer type Self propelled Trailer Mounted Overall length (m) 7 Overall width (m) 5 Bio be d - excavated in soil, m deep, 300 batter on sides, x m area suggested as suiting most situations Rule of thumb: Biobed area should be at least two/thirds of the area from which it is receiving liquids 31 Offs e t - S ys te m Plumbing  From offset loading area, install pump in small chamber, e.g 0.75 x 0.75 x 1m deep  Pump, with integral float switch - approx 40 l/min@6m head, installed to appropriate regulations Site all pipe runs for adequate frost protection Pipe to optional holding tank or direct to drip over biobed  Excavate biobed and liner with sealed drain as appropriate Liner to be 1.5mm geotextile membrane on specified inner liner and/or sand as detailed 32 Dire c t S ys te m De s ig n  De s ig n and c o ns truc t g rid to ade quate ly s uppo rt s pray ve hic le and e ns ure s afe o pe rato r us e – Operator should be kept off biobed surface for functional and safety reasons – Allow for grid to be removed in sections for annual biomix top-up  Co ns truc t fo undatio ns , as appro priate , avo iding s uppo rt o n bio be d line r if us e d  Exc avate bio be d and line r with s e ale d drain as appro priate  Line r to be 1.5 mm g e o te xtile me mbrane o n s pe c ifie d inne r line r and/o r s and as de taile d See further biobed installation notes 33 Bio be d - Ins tallatio n  Bio be d c an e ithe r be a bio mix - s traw, s o il and pe at-fre e c o mpo s t, o r lo amy s o il  Bio be d will ne e d lining whe re was hdo wn is to be prac tis e d (with Gro undwate r Autho ris atio n)  Lining mus t be s e ale d to o utle t drain e ffe c tive ly with c o ars e filte r o ve r drain inle t, e g mm me s h  Whe re unline d, e ns ure that s ubs o il is unc o mpac te d  Lining s ho uld o ve rlap to p o f s ide batte r by appro x 300 mm the re by pre ve nting unne c e s s ary rainfall re ac hing bio be d 34 Biobe d Ins tallation -  Dire c t drain to o ptio nal tank o r s mall pump c hambe r as be fo re , o r to pump to final dis po s al are a  Bio mix mus t be c o mpo s te d fo r 4-6 we e ks be fo re us e and e ve nly lo ade d into ho le Ove rfill ho le to allo w fo r e arly s inkag e  Turf s ho uld be laid at time o f filling to e nc o urag e g ro wth Turf e s no t ne e d to be hig h quality and is laid o ve r the s urfac e o f the bio mix, wate ring e arly to e nc o urag e g ro wth  Ins tall drip irrig atio n, hard ho s e type be s t, laid o nto the bio be d turf s urfac e as we ll as the final dis po s al are a, lig htly anc ho r drip line s  Te s t pump s ys te m be fo re us e 35 Biobe d Manage me nt - short term  Bio be d irrig atio n will maintain re g ular wate ring o f turf and thus c o ntro l bio mix mo is ture c o nditio n  Gras s g ro wth will e nc o urag e mo is ture us e and thus e vapo -trans piratio n fro m bio be d  Che c k we e kly fo r c o nditio n and func tio n Inve s tig ate any te nde nc y fo r wate rlo g g ing  Any fo liag e c ut fro m bio be d turf c o ve r to be mulc he d o ve r bio be d are a 36 Biobe d manage me nt - long term  Whe re bio mix is us e d, mate rial will de g rade and le ve l s inks by appro x 300 mm pe r ye ar  Bio mix to p-up annually ne c e s s ary De pe nde nt o n turf g ro wth, turf may be pe e le d bac k (with ade quate o pe rato r pro te c tio n) and ne w mix adde d to re s to re le ve l, re plac e turf  S o il bas e d s ys te ms pro bably will no t ‘s hrink’ as fas t  Che c k irrig atio n func tio n 37 Biobe d manage me nt - long term  Bio mix mate rial in the ho le will pro bably have a life o f -8 ye ars be fo re re plac e me nt o r re c yc ling  Re mo val o f bio mix s ho uld be ne c are fully (with appro priate o pe rato r pro te c tio n) to a c o nc re te are a fo r furthe r c o mpo s ting fo r o ne ye ar Re s e arc h s ug g e s ts any pe s tic ide s re maining are fully de g rade d in that pe rio d  Drainag e fro m this are a s ho uld be pre fe re ntially ro ute d to the re ple nis he d bio be d  Final dis po s al o f the s pe nt bio mix mate rial mus t be in ac c o rdanc e with advic e fro m lo c al e nviro nme nt ag e nc y 38 Wate r dis tribution - disposal area  Whe re drip irrig atio n us e d, lay hard ho s e pipe s at 400 mm s pac ing with drippe rs at aro und 1.5 l/h flo w rate – 1-1.5 running hours per day applies 2-4 mm of water, dependant on equipment used  S e t c o ntro ls , e g le ve l s witc h and any time rs , to ac hie ve this , allo wing fo r o ve rride in inte ns e rainfall – buffer available from optional tank if installed 39 Typical Cos ts - Offset  S praye r lo ading are a - de pe nds o n whe the r ade quate c o nc re te pre s e nt with bund adde d o r ne w mate rial - rang e £300 - £850  Eac h c hambe r £140, pump £60  Bio be d, e xc avatio n and mate rials £500  Line r, if ne e de d with drain £1000  Drip irrig atio n to bio be d and final dis po s al, de pe nds o n are as £200- £400 40 Typical Cos ts - Direct  S praye r ve hic le g rid - rang e £2000 - £5000  Bio be d, e xc avatio n and mate rials / fo undatio ns £800  Line r, if ne e de d, with drain £1000  Eac h c hambe r £140, pump £60  Drip irrig atio n to final dis po s al, de pe nds o n are a £300 41 More Information  www.biobeds.info  www.voluntaryinitiative.org.uk – choose Library, then publications then Best Practice Guides, • Pesticide handling areas • Biobeds • Biobed Manual  ADAS Gleadthorpe  Cranfield University  Environment Agency – www.environment-agency.gov.uk/farming  Scottish Environment Protection Agency – PEPFAA Do’s and Don’t’s Guide 42 CPD  BAS IS CPD Po ints AP/032/034/d = 1AP  NRo S O CPD Po ints N0340530c = 1AP Prac tic al S imple S o lutio ns Pro te c ting the Enviro nme nt ...2 Co nte nts  Main issues  Options for Pesticide Handling Areas  Sizing  Management and operation  Likely costs  Final water disposal Bac kg ro und  Hig... wate r vo lume s (rain and was hing s ) o n handling are a – S to re e mpty c o ntaine rs s afe ly and uprig ht afte r us e – Dis po s e o f c o ntaine rs fre que ntly and s afe ly as pe rmitte... – Avoid use on heavy clay 15 Handling Are a - with a bio be d  A well planned, designed and operated area linked to a biobed will allow pesticides to be retained and degraded by a considerable