Author Description

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recommended that states develop Pesticide Management Plans for four agricultural chemicals - alachlor, atrazine, metolachlor, and simazine - used in Utah as herbicides in the production of corn and sorghum, and to control weeds and undesired vegetation (such as along right-of-ways or utility substations). This report and accompanying maps are intended to be used as part of these Pesticide Management Plans to provide local, state, and federal government agencies and agricultural pesticide users with a base of information concerning sensitivity and vulnerability of ground water in the basin-fill aquifer (bedrock is not evaluated) to agricultural pesticides in the central Virgin River basin, Washington and Iron Counties, Utah. We used existing data to produce pesticide sensitivity and vulnerability maps by applying an attribute ranking system specifically tailored to the western United States using Geographic Information System analysis methods. 24 pages + 2 plates