Water Source Self- Questionnaire

Answer “yes” or “no” to all of the questions that apply to your operation. For questions with a "yes" answer, pat yourself on the back for doing a good job. If you answered "no" to any of the questions, you should develop an action plan to reduce your risk. Use the information in this GAP education series and any of the resources listed below to help you develop your action plan.

If you use well water for spray irrigation, mixing pesticides, cooling fruit, or washing vegetables, is your well at least 100 feet from a:

1. Do you have a maintenance schedule for your wells?
2. Manure storage facility?
3. Livestock area?
4. Septic system drainage field?
5. Discharge area for milk house wastewater?
6. Is the drinkable water/well water sources tested at least once per year?
7. Are records of all water tests on file?
8. Have you installed a backflow prevention device or other system to prevent contamination of clean water supplies by potentially contaminated water?

If you use surface water for irrigation and pesticide application:

1. Do you used drip, under-tree or low volume spray irrigation to reduce water contact with fruit?
2. If you use overhead irrigation or evaporative cooling, do you test your irrigation water for fecal coliform concentrations during the growing season?
3. If livestock operations are located nearby the irrigation source, are animals excluded?
4. Are good management practices in place to protect the quality of irrigation water?
5. Do you use only potable water to apply foliar applications including pesticides, nutrients, and growth regulators? In the barn or packing house?
6. Does water used to cool, clean and sanitize produce meet the EPA Drinking Water Standard?

Adapted from: G. Baird Wireman, D. Granatstein, E. Kirby, E. Adams, Washington State University Cooperative Extension and S. Ingham, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Reducing Food Safety Risks in Apples: A Self Assessment Workbook for Producers of Apples, Juice, and Cider. May 2001