Managing Your Watershed

A map of the Platte River Watershed

Solving the widespread and often unseen problems associated with non-point source pollution is a complicated process. Since this type of water pollution is largely unregulated, the solutions must come from the local watershed community. Recognizing this, the Benzie Conservation District took the initiative to begin developing a watershed management plan to update our knowledge of water resource pollution in the Platte River Watershed and determine a course of action for solving immediate and long-term problems.

Managing Non-point Source Pollution

We all play a part in causing and creating non-point source pollution. NPS pollution results from a wide variety of human activities on the land. We all contribute to it without realizing it.

We can all work together to reduce and prevent non-point source pollution. Some activities are federal responsibilities, such as ensuring that federal lands are properly managed to reduce soil erosion. Some are state responsibilities, for example, developing legislation to govern mining and logging and to protect groundwater. Others are best handled locally such as zoning or erosion control ordinances. And each individual can play an important role by practicing conservation and by changing certain everyday habits.