scholarly journals Modeling effectiveness of broiler litter application method for reducing phosphorus and nitrogen losses

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1047-1061 ◽  
Author(s):  
Palki Arora ◽  
Jasmeet Lamba ◽  
Puneet Srivastava ◽  
Latif Kalin
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Surface Runoff ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
N Losses ◽  
Broiler Litter ◽  
Application Method ◽  
Creek Watershed ◽  
Total P

Abstract The linkages among the best management practices implemented at the field level and downstream water quality improvement at the watershed level are complex, because the processes that link management practices and watershed-level water quality span a range of scales. However, it is important to understand the effect of nutrient management strategies on watershed-level water quality because most of the water quality evaluation occurs at the watershed scale. The overall goal of this study was to quantify the effect of broiler litter application method (surface vs. subsurface application) on phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) losses in surface runoff using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. The research was conducted in the Big Creek watershed (8,024 ha) located in Mobile County, Alabama, USA. At the hydrological response unit level, the subsurface application of broiler litter to pastures reduced average annual (1991–2015) total P and N losses in surface runoff by 72% and 33%, respectively, compared to surface application of broiler litter. At the watershed outlet, subsurface application of broiler litter to pastures (covered 43% of the watershed area after the land use change scenario) reduced average annual (1991–2015) total P and N losses by 39% and 20%, respectively.

Pesticide Contamination of Groundwater in Virginia: BMP Impact Assessment

1993 ◽  
Vol 28 (3-5) ◽  
pp. 379-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Mostaghimi ◽  
P. W. McClellan ◽  
R. A. Cooke
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Pesticide Contamination ◽  
Cropping Patterns ◽  
Creek Watershed ◽  
Surface And Groundwater

The Nomini Creek Watershed/Water Quality monitoring project was initiated in 1985, as part of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement of 1983, to quantify the impacts of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) on improving water quality. The watershed monitoring system was designed to provide a comprehensive assessment of the quality of surface and groundwater as influenced by changes in land use, agronomic, and cultural practices in the watershed over the duration of the project. The primary chemical characteristics monitored include both soluble and sediment-bound nutrients and pesticides in surface and groundwater. Water samples from 8 monitoring wells located in agricultural areas in the watershed were analyzed for 22 pesticides. A total of 20 pesticides have been detected in water samples collected. Atrazine is the most frequently detected pesticide. Detected concentrations of atrazine ranged from 0.03 - 25.56 ppb and occurred in about 26 percent of the samples. Other pesticides were detected at frequencies ranging from 1.6 to 14.2 percent of all samples collected and concentrations between 0.01 and 41.89 ppb. The observed concentrations and spatial distributions of pesticide contamination of groundwater are compared to land use and cropping patterns. Results indicate that BMPs are quite effective in reducing pesticide concentrations in groundwater.

Agricultural land use and N losses to water: the case study of a fluvial park in Northern Italy

2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 275-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Morari ◽  
E. Lugato ◽  
M. Borin
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Subsurface Water ◽  
Agricultural Systems ◽  
N Losses ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
The Impact

An integrated water resource management programme has been under way since 1999 to reduce agricultural water pollution in the River Mincio fluvial park. The experimental part of the programme consisted of: a) a monitoring phase to evaluate the impact of conventional and environmentally sound techniques (Best Management Practices, BMPs) on water quality; this was done on four representative landscape units, where twelve fields were instrumented to monitor the soil, surface and subsurface water quality; b) a modelling phase to extend the results obtained at field scale to the whole territory of the Mincio watershed. For this purpose a GIS developed in the Arc/Info environment was integrated into the CropSyst model. The model had previously been calibrated to test its ability to describe the complexity of the agricultural systems. The first results showed a variable efficiency of the BMPs depending on the interaction between management and pedo-climatic conditions. In general though, the BMPs had positive effects in improving the surface and subsurface water quality. The CropSyst model was able to describe the agricultural systems monitored and its linking with the GIS represented a valuable tool for identifying the vulnerable areas within the watershed.

scholarly journals Assessing the Impact of Site-Specific BMPs Using a Spatially Explicit, Field-Scale SWAT Model with Edge-of-Field and Tile Hydrology and Water-Quality Data in the Eagle Creek Watershed, Ohio

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Merriman ◽  
Prasad Daggupati ◽  
Raghavan Srinivasan ◽  
Chad Toussant ◽  
Amy Russell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Monitoring Data ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Field Scale ◽  
Water Quality Data ◽  
Creek Watershed ◽  
The Impact

The Eagle Creek watershed, a small subbasin (125 km2) within the Maumee River Basin, Ohio, was selected as a part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) “Priority Watersheds” program to evaluate the effectiveness of agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) funded through GLRI at the field and watershed scales. The location and quantity of BMPs were obtained from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service National Conservation Planning (NCP) database. A Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was built and calibrated for this predominantly agricultural Eagle Creek watershed, incorporating NCP BMPs and monitoring data at the watershed outlet, an edge-of-field (EOF), and tile monitoring sites. Input air temperature modifications were required to induce simulated tile flow to match monitoring data. Calibration heavily incorporated tile monitoring data to correctly proportion surface and subsurface flow, but calibration statistics were unsatisfactory at the EOF and tile monitoring sites. At the watershed outlet, satisfactory to very good calibration statistics were achieved over a 2-year calibration period, and satisfactory statistics were found in the 2-year validation period. SWAT fixes parameters controlling nutrients primarily at the watershed level; a refinement of these parameters at a smaller-scale could improve field-level calibration. Field-scale modeling results indicate that filter strips (FS) are the most effective single BMPs at reducing dissolved reactive phosphorus, and FS typically decreased sediment and nutrient yields when added to any other BMP or BMP combination. Cover crops were the most effective single, in-field practice by reducing nutrient loads over winter months. Watershed-scale results indicate BMPs can reduce sediment and nutrients, but reductions due to NCP BMPs in the Eagle Creek watershed for all water-quality constituents were less than 10%. Hypothetical scenarios simulated with increased BMP acreages indicate larger investments of the appropriate BMP or BMP combination can decrease watershed level loads.

Preliminary Evaluation of Effects of Best Management Practices in the Black Earth Creek, Wisconsin, Priority Watershed

1993 ◽  
Vol 28 (3-5) ◽  
pp. 539-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. Walker ◽  
David J. Graczyk
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Mass Transport ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Nonpoint Source ◽  
Transitional Period ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Creek Watershed ◽  
Basin Scale

Nonpoint-source contamination accounts for a substantial part of the water quality problems in many watersheds. The Wisconsin Nonpoint Source Water Pollution Abatement Program provides matching money for voluntary implementation of various best management practices (BMPs). The effectiveness of BMPs on a drainage-basin scale has not been adequately assessed in Wisconsin by use of data collected before and after BMP implementation. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, monitored water quality in the Black Earth Creek watershed in southern Wisconsin from October 1984 through September 1986 (pre-BMP conditions). BMP implementation began during the summer of 1989 and is planned to continue through 1993. Data collection resumed in fall 1989 and is intended to provide information during the transitional period of BMP implementation (1990-93) and 2 years of post-BMP conditions (1994-95). Preliminary results presented for two subbasins in the Black Earth Creek watershed (Brewery and Garfoot Creeks) are based on data collected during pre-BMP conditions and the first 3 years of the transitional period. The analysis includes the use of regressions to control for natural variability in the data and, hence, enhance the ability to detect changes. Data collected to date (1992) indicate statistically significant differences in storm mass transport of suspended sediment and ammonia nitrogen at Brewery Creek. The central tendency of the regression residuals has decreased with the implementation of BMPs; hence, the improvement in water quality in the Brewery Creek watershed is likely a result of BMP implementation. Differences in storm mass transport at Garfoot Creek were not detected, primarily because of an insufficient number of storms in the transitional period. As practice implementation continues, the additional data will be used to determine the level of management which results in significant improvements in water quality in the two watersheds. Future research will address techniques for including snowmelt runoff and early spring storms.

scholarly journals A multi-objective optimization tool for the selection and placement of BMPs for pesticide control

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 1821-1862 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Maringanti ◽  
I. Chaubey ◽  
M. Arabi ◽  
B. Engel
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Multi Objective Optimization ◽  
Implementation Cost ◽  
Multi Objective ◽  
Pesticide Pollution ◽  
Atrazine Concentration ◽  
Creek Watershed ◽  
Daunting Task

Abstract. Pesticides (particularly atrazine used in corn fields) are the foremost source of water contamination in many of the water bodies in Midwestern corn belt, exceeding the 3 ppb MCL established by the U.S. EPA for drinking water. Best management practices (BMPs), such as buffer strips and land management practices, have been proven to effectively reduce the pesticide pollution loads from agricultural areas. However, selection and placement of BMPs in watersheds to achieve an ecologically effective and economically feasible solution is a daunting task. BMP placement decisions under such complex conditions require a multi-objective optimization algorithm that would search for the best possible solution that satisfies the given watershed management objectives. Genetic algorithms (GA) have been the most popular optimization algorithms for the BMP selection and placement problem. Most optimization models also had a dynamic linkage with the water quality model, which increased the computation time considerably thus restricting them to apply models on field scale or relatively smaller (11 or 14 digit HUC) watersheds. However, most previous works have considered the two objectives individually during the optimization process by introducing a constraint on the other objective, therefore decreasing the degree of freedom to find the solution. In this study, the optimization for atrazine reduction is performed by considering the two objectives simultaneously using a multi-objective genetic algorithm (NSGA-II). The limitation with the dynamic linkage with a distributed parameter watershed model was overcome through the utilization of a BMP tool, a database that stores the pollution reduction and cost information of different BMPs under consideration. The model was used for the selection and placement of BMPs in Wildcat Creek Watershed (located in Indiana, for atrazine reduction. The most ecologically effective solution from the model had an annual atrazine concentration reduction of 30%, from the baseline with a BMP implementation cost of $18 million. The pareto-optimal fronts generated between the two optimized objective functions can be used to achieve desired water quality goals with minimum BMP implementation cost for the watershed.

scholarly journals Management Scale Assessment of Practices to Mitigate Cattle Microbial Water Quality Impairments of Coastal Waters

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 5516 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Lewis ◽  
Dylan Voeller ◽  
Tina L. Saitone ◽  
Kenneth W. Tate
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Initial Period ◽  
Quality Improvements ◽  
Managerial Control ◽  
Microbial Water Quality ◽  
Cattle Movements ◽  
Coastal Watersheds ◽  
Creek Watershed

Coastal areas support multiple important resource uses including recreation, aquaculture, and agriculture. Unmanaged cattle access to stream corridors in grazed coastal watersheds can contaminate surface waters with fecal-derived microbial pollutants, posing risk to human health via activities such as swimming and shellfish consumption. Improved managerial control of cattle access to streams through implementation of grazing best management practices (BMPs) is a critical step in mitigating waterborne microbial pollution in grazed watersheds. This paper reports trend analysis of a 19-year dataset to assess long-term microbial water quality responses resulting from a program to implement 40 grazing BMPs within the Olema Creek Watershed, a primary tributary to Tomales Bay, USA. Stream corridor grazing BMPs implemented included: (1) Stream corridor fencing to eliminate/control cattle access, (2) hardened stream crossings for cattle movements across stream corridors, and (3) off stream drinking water systems for cattle. We found a statistically significant reduction in fecal coliform concentrations following the initial period of BMP implementation, with overall mean reductions exceeding 95% (1.28 log10)—consistent with 1—2 log10 (90–99%) reductions reported in other studies. Our results demonstrate the importance of prioritization of pollutant sources at the watershed scale to target BMP implementation for rapid water quality improvements and return on investment. Our findings support investments in grazing BMP implementation as an important component of policies and strategies to protect public health in grazed coastal watersheds.

Modeling Water Quality and the Effects of Agricultural Best Management Practices in the Iowa River Basin

1985 ◽  
Vol 17 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 1141-1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. R. Bicknell ◽  
Anthony S. Donigian ◽  
T. A. Barnwell
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Runoff ◽  
Large River ◽  
Water Quality Modeling ◽  
Hydrological Simulation ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Creek Watershed

This paper describes a demonstration application of comprehensive hydrology and water quality modeling on a large river basin to evaluate the effects of agricultural nonpoint pollution and proposed best management practices (BMP). The model application combines detailed simulation of agricultural runoff and soil processes, including calculation of surface and subsurface pollutant transport to receiving water, with subsequent simulation of instream transport and transformation. The result is a comprehensive simulation of river basin water quality. The investigation of the Iowa River Basin described in this paper was part of a large study which included application and evaluation of the Hydrological Simulation Program - FORTRAN (HSPF) to both the data-intensive Four Mile Creek watershed and the Iowa River above Coralville Reservoir. In this study, the methodology developed on Four Mile Creek was extrapolated to the Iowa River Basin to demonstrate its applicability and functionality on a large river basin. Many model parameter values from Four Mile Creek were applied directly to the study area without adjustment while other parameters were modified based on available information and calibration. This study allowed the exploration of problems associated with modeling hydrology, sediment, and chemical fate and transport in a large river basin with varying meteorologic conditions, soils, and agricultural practices.

Watershed modeling using large-scale distributed computing in Condor and the Soil and Water Assessment Tool model

SIMULATION ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret W Gitau ◽  
Li-Chi Chiang ◽  
Mohamed Sayeed ◽  
Indrajeet Chaubey
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Watershed Modeling ◽  
Management Decisions ◽  
Water Assessment ◽  
Soil And Water

Models are increasingly being used to quantify the effects of best management practices (BMPs) on water quality. While these models offer the ability to study multiple BMP scenarios, and to analyze impacts of various management decisions on watershed response, associated analyses can be very computationally intensive due to a large number of runs needed to fully capture the various uncertainties in the model outputs. There is, thus, the need to develop suitable and efficient techniques to handle such comprehensive model evaluations. We demonstrate a novel approach to accomplish a large number of model runs with Condor, a distributed high-throughput computing framework for model runs with the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. This application required more than 43,000 runs of the SWAT model to evaluate the impacts of 172 different watershed management decisions combined with weather uncertainty on water quality. The SWAT model was run in the Condor environment implemented on the TeraGrid. This framework significantly reduced the model run time from 2.5 years to 18 days and enabled us to perform comprehensive BMP analyses that may not have been possible with traditional model runs on a few desktop computers. The Condor system can be used effectively to make Monte Carlo analyses of complex watershed models requiring a large number of computational cycles.

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