The Conservation Effects Assessment Project benchmark watersheds: Synthesis of preliminary findings

Richardson, C. W.; Bucks, D. A.; Sadler, E. J.

doi:10.2489/jswc.63.6.590

Cited by 100 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…(Schilling et al 2007). The monitoring study results and the modeling findings reported here directly support the goals of the Conservation Effects Assessment Project, which seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of different conservation practices in mitigating water quality problems in a variety of watershed conditions across the United States (Richardson et al 2008;Duriancik et al 2008). The Squaw Creek watershed was designated as a control in the original monitoring study (Schilling and Spooner 2006).…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 68%

Targeting land-use change for nitrate-nitrogen load reductions in an agricultural watershed

Jha¹,

Schilling²,

Gassman³

et al. 2010

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

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Abstract:The research was conducted as part of the USDA's Conservation Effects Assessment Project. The objective of the project was to evaluate the environmental effects of land-use changes, with a focus on understanding how the spatial distribution throughout a watershed influences their effectiveness. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) water quality model was applied to the Squaw Creek watershed, which covers 4,730 ha (11,683 ac) of prime agriculture land in southern Iowa. The model was calibrated (2000 to 2004) and validated (1996 to 1999) for overall watershed hydrology and for streamflow and nitrate loadings at the watershed outlet on an annual and monthly basis. Four scenarios for land-use change were evaluated including one scenario consistent with recent land-use changes and three scenarios focused on land-use change on highly erodible land areas, upper basin areas, and floodplain areas. Results for the Squaw Creek watershed suggested that nitrate losses were sensitive to land-use change. If land-use patterns were restored to 1990 conditions, nitrate loads may be reduced 7% to 47% in the watershed and subbasins, whereas converting row crops to grass in highly erodible land, upper basin, and floodplain areas would reduce nitrate loads by 47%, 16%, and 8%, respectively. These SWAT model simulations can provide guidance on how to begin targeting land-use change for nitrate load reductions in agricultural watersheds.

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Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 68%

Targeting land-use change for nitrate-nitrogen load reductions in an agricultural watershed

Jha¹,

Schilling²,

Gassman³

et al. 2010

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

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“…1). Understanding the headwater hydrology in this watershed is important because UBWC is one of 14 benchmark watersheds being studied as part of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Conservation Effects Assessment Project -Watershed Assessment Study (Richardson et al, 2008). Additionally, the findings from this study should be transferable to other headwater streams in cool humid climates.…”

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrology of channelized and natural headwater streams / Hydrologie de cours d'eau recalibrés et naturels de tête de bassin

King

Smiley

Fausey

2009

Hydrological Sciences Journal

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Understanding hydrology of channelized and natural headwater streams is paramount for maintaining ecosystem function and natural flow regimes. Two channelized and two natural headwater streams located in Upper Big Walnut Creek (UBWC) watershed in Ohio, USA, were instrumented to facilitate measurement, characterization and comparison of hydrology to the accepted paradigm for headwater hydrology. Data were collected at 10-min intervals from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2006. Differences in flow magnitudes (average, low and high) were generally greater (P < 0.05) in the channelized streams. Frequency of zero discharge and out-of-bank discharge was significantly greater in the natural streams. Zero discharge occurred in summer and out-of-bank flows occurred in winter. Rate of change variables indicated that channelized streams respond more quickly to rainfall, have significantly greater peak flows, and have slower recession times. In contrast, natural streams tend to be more "flashy". The findings were generally consistent with the accepted paradigm for headwater hydrology and attributed to stream type, presence of subsurface drainage, potential connection to groundwater, and differences in riparian vegetation. The design and installation of management practices that influence hydrology should consider the potential impacts of altering stream hydrology. Management practices such as water-table management have the potential and show promise in altering the hydrology of channelized streams to resemble the hydrology of natural streams.

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“…Watershed models that can be used to evaluate the effects of climate and land use, particularly agricultural practices, on runoff and sediment from both upland fields and stream channels are essential to analyze erosion dynamics in an agricultural watershed. Watershed-scale models have been used in the US Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) (Richardson et al 2008) and the Canadian Watershed Evaluation of BMPs (WEBs) project (Yang et al 2007) to support BMP management and program evaluation. Since measured data at stream or field stations are often insufficient to distinguish sources of sediment within a watershed, models can be used to trace sediment sources and delivery in a watershed, and provide assistance to decision making in watershed management.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating Sediment Yield from Upland and Channel Erosion at A Watershed Scale Using SWAT

Liu

Yang

et al. 2015

Water Resour Manage

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Sediment discharge is one of the main water quality concerns in integrated watershed management. A proper identification of sediment sources is therefore important to the success of watershed conservation programs. Since water quality monitoring data collected at the mouth of the watershed alone are typically not sufficient for identifying key sediment sources distributed in the watershed, hydrologic models can be applied to prioritize Best Management Practices (BMPs) implementation for sediment control in a watershed. In this paper, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is applied to the South Tobacco Creek (STC) watershed in Canada to identify sediment sources and to estimate the spatial distribution of sediment yield from both upland and channel erosion processes. The model is calibrated and validated against observed flow and sediment data measured at fourteen edge-of-field and mainstream stations based on 20 years of land management data. Modeling results show that approximately 60 and 40 % of the sediment discharge at the mouth of the watershed are originated from channel erosion and upland erosion respectively. A high spatial and temporal variation of sediment yield is found in the watershed depending on climate, topography, land use, and soil conditions. These findings will be helpful for understanding the runoff and erosion processes and evaluating the cost-effectiveness of soil and water conservation programs at a watershed scale.

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The Conservation Effects Assessment Project benchmark watersheds: Synthesis of preliminary findings

Cited by 100 publications

References 56 publications

Targeting land-use change for nitrate-nitrogen load reductions in an agricultural watershed

Targeting land-use change for nitrate-nitrogen load reductions in an agricultural watershed

Hydrology of channelized and natural headwater streams / Hydrologie de cours d'eau recalibrés et naturels de tête de bassin

Estimating Sediment Yield from Upland and Channel Erosion at A Watershed Scale Using SWAT

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