Mar 2019
                                
                            
                                                    
                                
                                Minimizing Risks: Use of Surface Water in Pre-Harvest Agricultural Irrigation
                            
                        
                            
                                Authors: 
                                
                                Jessica L. Dery, Natalie Brassill, and Channah M. Rock
                            
                                                    
                                
                                Irrigation water can act as a vector, or carrier, that can transport or spread pathogens to crops, where they have the potential to cause illness (CDC, 2018). Decisions to treat irrigation water can be driven by buyer requirements, for product marketing or branding, or because the water quality exceeds the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulations or the Leafy Green Marketing Agreement (LGMA) standards for generic Escherichia coli (E. coli).