Drainage water management is a conservation practice that has the potential to reduce drainage outflow and nitrate (NO 3 ) loss from agricultural fields while maintaining or improving crop yields. The goal of this study was to quantify the impact of drainage water management on drain flow, NO 3 concentration, and NO 3 load from subsurface drainage on two farms in Indiana. Paired field studies were conducted following the paired watershed statistical approach modified to accommodate autocorrelation. Annual NO 3 load reductions ranged from 15% to 31%, with an overall reduction of 18% to 23% over the 2-year period, resulting from reductions in both flow and NO 3 concentration. Although the study revealed weaknesses in using the paired statistical approach for a dynamic practice like drainage water management, the results of this study support the use of drainage water management as a conservation practice and provide information for decision-makers about the level of benefits that can be anticipated.
From 1973 to 1984 the Black Creek Project assessed the contributions of agricultural production to the agrochemical loading levels to drainage water. GLEAMS-NAPRA calibration and validation were conducted using measured water quantity and quality data from 1975 to 1977 from two watersheds within the Black Creek watershed, the Driesbach and Smith-Fry. The model was calibrated and validated for monthly runoff, nitrate loading, sediment loss, sediment phosphorus, and total phosphorus. Modeling the land use as it existed at the time of the original Black Creek Project using GLEAMS-NAPRA resulted in model predictions that were similar to observed monthly results. In the Driesbach watershed, the Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiencies for monthly runoff, sediment, nitrate, sediment phosphorus, and total phosphorus were 0.89, 0.78, 0.69, 0.57, and 0.70, respectively. Additionally, the R 2 values for monthly runoff, sediment, nitrate, sediment phosphorus, and total phosphorus were 0.90, 0.86, 0.81, 0.79, and 0.75, respectively, for the same watershed. Since the mid-1970s, the land use within the watershed has changed, with an increase in urban and farmstead areas and changes in cropping systems. When applying the model with 2003 land use data, there was a predicted average annual decrease in nitrate loss for the Smith-Fry and Driesbach watersheds by 6 kg/ha and 4 kg/ha, respectively. Little impact was predicted for sediment phosphorus and total phosphorus loss, with differences in average annual loss of 0.05 and 0.08 kg/ha for Smith-Fry and 0.08 and 0.26 kg/ha for Driesbach, respectively. The results of this study indicate that GLEAMS-NAPRA has the ability to predict monthly runoff, nitrate, sediment, sediment phosphorus, and total phosphorus losses on a small watershed scale. The results also indicate the possibility of using GLEAMS-NAPRA to estimate losses in other watersheds with similar soil, land use, and drainage characteristics.
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