This factsheet provides information to growers and homeowners regarding the Connecticut 2024-2025 rules that restrict PFAS in fertilizers and soil amendments. It explains what PFAS are, what types of materials are affected by the current Connecticut restrictions, how to evaluate product labels and feedstocks, lower-risk alternatives, and where to get help.
Environment, Land Use & Planning
Meet Mari Cullerton
Mari Cullerton recently joined our team as a research assistant in the Center for Land use Education and Research (CLEAR). She’s originally from Canaan, Connecticut and earned her bachelor of science in natural resources and environmental sciences from UConn, as well as her master of science, where she focused on remote sensing and GIS. What […]
Brush Fires in Connecticut: Be Aware, Be Prepared
In many parts of Connecticut stretches of warm, breezy weather with little rainfall can be the norm. While these conditions may seem typical and easy to take for granted in daily routines, they can become especially concerning during the spring season (before leaves have fully emerged), as well as during the autumn months (as dry leaves fall and accumulate). Drying leaves create a blanket of combustible material across landscapes. The combination of dry fuels and windy conditions increases the risk of forest and brush fires in both rural and suburban areas. Similar dry conditions are uncommon but possible during other months and can also lead to brush fires.
Get Trusted Answers from Local Experts with UConn Extension
Have you ever stood in your garden wondering what’s wrong with a plant—or looked at a canning recipe and felt unsure if it’s truly safe? Maybe you’re a new landowner trying to make environmentally sound decisions, or simply want to grow better agricultural crops this season. Whatever your question, UConn Extension is here to help—with […]
PFAS Soil Testing Available for Connecticut Farms
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) is now accepting soil samples from Connecticut farms for a new program providing free analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of highly toxic chemicals. PFAS, which have been found on farms and in drinking water across the nation, can cause harmful health effects at extremely low […]
Managing Water Use at Home During Drought in Connecticut
If I went to the desert southwest and told them that I was concerned about drought here in Connecticut, I would probably get laughed out of the room! Despite the fact that we get about 48 inches of precipitation annually, we still can experience periods that are classified as drought. The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide recommendations for residential water users to prepare for drought conditions. The primary focus will be on private wells.
Managing Your Private Well: Testing and Treatment Guide
If you’re wondering why no one’s told you to test your drinking water, it’s because private wells have very little governmental regulation, leaving most of the responsibility to the well owner. This fact sheet explains water testing and treatment if needed.
Getting To the Bottom of Your Well
You turn the faucet on, and water comes out. What else do you need to know? Clean, reliable drinking water is often taken for granted. Understanding where your water comes from at your home is important. The purpose of this fact sheet is to describe how your private residential well works, and to provide advice on how to protect the quality of your water.
How can we Reduce Flood Risk in our Communities?
Flooding is a natural and cyclical phenomenon – whereby during storms water overflows onto the land from adjacent waterbodies – that humans have adapted to for millennia. This fact sheet provides a brief history and additional information for municipalities, residents, farmers, and agencies on preventing, preparing for, and recovering from flooding incidents.
Protecting Indoor Air from Wildfire Smoke
Wildfire smoke can damage your lungs, heart, eyes, nose, throat and immune system. Smoke can enter homes and contaminate indoor air. Protect yourself by staying indoors and taking steps to reduce indoor air pollution. Here are tips on how to protect the air in your home. Why is smoke harmful? In a wildfire, the major […]