Measuring Conservation Practices

COOPERATIVE CONSERVATION CASE STUDY

Location: Midwest/Northern High Plains

Project Summary: A GIS-based model was developed to determine the effects of best management practices for agricultural lands on erosion and sedimentation rates.

Sediment from farm fi elds is carried by floodwater to the Maumee River.

Resource Challenge

The Upper Auglaize Watershed covers more than 2,400 square miles of Indiana and Ohio, eventually draining into the Maumee River, which flows to Lake Erie. About 80 percent of the land is in agricultural production and another 7 percent is developed. Soil erosion, sedimentation, and excess nutrients are the most significant environmental problems. Private landowners in the Upper Auglaize Watershed have been implementing conservation practices for the past 70 years with technical support from public agencies and private organizations. While observations indicate these practices are successful locally, there is little data to quantify whether they effectively reduce sediments watershed-wide. The Upper Auglaize Watershed Agricultural Non Point Source Modeling Project is an interagency project using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assess the effectiveness of these practices in reducing pollution from agricultural runoff and other sources.

Examples of Key Partners

USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Ohio State University (OSU), University of Toledo (UT), Heidelberg College, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Soil and Water Conservation (ODNR), Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), Several Soil and Water Conservation Districts: Allen, Auglaize, Van Wert, and Putnam.

Results and Accomplishments

The project team used a Geographic Information System (GIS) model to determine existing sediment sources and how applying best management practices (BMP) would affect sediment delivery to the water. The results show that using BMP would reduce sediment loads leaving the mouth of the Upper Auglaize Watershed. For example, converting all cropland in the watershed to no-till would reduce the average unit sediment load by 42 percent.

The team also developed new techniques to quantify gully erosion to use in the model. Results suggest that 73 percent of the existing sediment load comes from gully erosion. Model results will be used to guide conservation incentive and land treatment programs.

Innovation/Highlight

GIS-based model used to quantify the effects of conservation activities on water quality.

Project Contact

Steve Davis
NRCS Resource Conservationist
USDA-NRCS

,
419-222-0614 x 108
steve.davis@oh.usda.gov

Terry Cosby
State Conservationist
USDA-NRCS

614-255-2472
terry.cosby@oh.usda.gov

Website: http://www.oh.nrcs.usda.gov

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