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 V.I.
Home & Farm Water Quality Assessment (VI*A*SYST) Program
Voluntary Pollution Prevention for
VI Homes & Farms
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Is
Your Home at Risk From Environmental Pollutants ?
Has it Been More Than 3 Years Since You've Cleaned Your
Cistern and Tested Your Drinking Water ?
Do You Throw Products Like Paints, Cleaners, Pesticides,
Future Polish and/or Their Containers in Your Garbage or Pour
Them Down Your Drain or on the Soil ?
Have You Noticed Signs of a Failing Septic System - Slow Drains,
Foul Odors, or Soggy Soil Over the Seepage Pit or Leach Field
?
Do You Have Bare Soils or Do You Notice Valuable Topsoil Running
Off Your Yard or Farm When it Rains ?
If
you answered YES to
any of the questions above, your home or property —
one of your most valuable investments — may be at
risk. Activities in and around the home or farm can cause
pollution that can harm your health and the environment.
The UVI-CES Home
& Farm Water Quality Assessment (VI*A*Syst) Program
can help you identify environmental risks in or around your
home or farm and recommend preventative, cost-effective
practices to use before problems occur.
UVI-CES's
VI*A*Syst
Assessment
is a tool that can help you conduct a complete environmental
assessment of your home, yard, business and/or farm. The
VI*A*Syst
Assessment
uses a simple YES
or NO
checklist of questions about specific
topics. Depending on your answer to the questions, you will
be directed to a matching factsheet that will give you more
detailed information on the topic. The factsheets will also
help you develop an Action Plan to implement practices or
change behaviors to protect your family's health, your property
values, and the environment. Simple
and low cost individual activities go a long way in preventing
pollution!
Assessment
Topics
Water Supply
Cistern
and well
care and maintenance
Site Assessment
Knowing your soils, topography and hydrology
Wastewater
Treatment
Proper septic system design and maintenance
Household
Hazardous Waste
Reuse, reduce, recycle and compost
Manure
Management
Safe use, storage and handling
practices
Fertilizer
Management
Safe use, storage and handling practices
Petroleum
Products
Safe storage and handling practices
Pesticides
Safe use, storage and handling practices
Risk Assessment & Tips
Factsheets
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Getting
the Answers That You Need From VI*A*SYST
VI*A*Syst
also
offers Risk Assessment Factsheets and Tip Sheets on
a number of topics to assist you in developing a pollution
prevention action plan.
In
addition to this helpful information, the factsheets
also list phone numbers for contacts who can provide
additional help. If you have more questions or need
further assistance with developing your action plan,
VI*A*Syst
trainers
can work with you personally. This assessment program
is completely confidential and easy to use.
Do
you want to become a VI*A*Syst
trainer/
educator? VI*A*Syst
community
educators can:
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Help residents discover how their activities may
contribute to health or pollution problems;
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Deliver presentations at community and association
meetings;
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Provide information on where to get further assistance.
Successfully
complete a VI*A*Syst
Train-the-Trainer
course and you can begin assisting residents in your
community.
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Want More Detailed Information?View one of our workshop presentations online.
Just click on the topic listed below to run the online slideshow.
VI*A*Syst is part
of the National Farm*A*Syst/Home*A*Syst Network —
a national program supported by the USDA Cooperative State
Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES), USDA
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
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| The
mission of the University of the Virgin Islands Cooperative Extension
Service is to advance knowledge for agriculture, the environment,
human health and well being, and communities. |
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| The
University of the Virgin Islands is an equal opportunity provider
and employer. |
| page
last modified
February 6, 2004
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