Keeping soil in the vineyards and away from local waterways is a long-standing problem in Napa County.

The Napa Sustainable Winegrowing Group is doing something about it.

Last week the organization sponsored a hands-on seminar for about 50 vineyard workers. Rotating in groups of 10 among the five demonstration sites set up at Domaine Carneros, vineyard employees learned about cover crops, the proper installation of some of the most common runoff systems, erosion control damage and restoration.

Vineyard workers were given laminated field cards in Spanish. On one side is a graphic showing what a correctly installed control method should look like. On the flip side is an explanation of how to install and maintain the set-up.

The set of six thick plastic cards, measuring six by nine inches and secured by a hook, would easily endure a ride in a vineyard worker’s pickup.

Several workers at the presentation on cover crops given by Jon Kanagy, of Nord Coast Vineyard Services, took notes on the back of their handouts.

“It’s important for them to know if (the erosion system) is installed properly,” Astrid Bock-Foster, NSWG program director said. “If not properly installed, it can do more harm than good.”

The goal is to keep soil sediment from ending up in the county’s creeks and waterways where it can be harmful to fish, she added.

The hands-on seminar included bilingual speakers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Natural Resource Conservation Services in Napa, Davis and Salinas.

The NSWG operates under the umbrella of the Napa Resource Conservation District, according to Bock-Foster.

Educating the workers on erosion practices gives them a better understanding of what they are doing, Bock-Foster said, adding that any Napa County agricultural project with at least a five degree slope is required to have an erosion plan.

“Benefiting from this ultimately are the vineyards and the fish in the water,” Bock-Foster said.

In previous years, NSWG topics have ranged from water quality, pesticides and sustainable farming practices to beneficial insects.

NSWG has been holding the seminars in Spanish since 1997. Since 1995, the group has also been meeting monthly to talk about sustainable farming practices with primarily vineyard managers and a few wine makers, according to Bock-Foster.

“It’s all about education and promoting sustainable farming practices,” Bock-Foster said.

For more information go to www.nswg.org or naparcd.org.