The impact of agricultural best management practices on downstream systems: Soil loss and nutrient chemistry and flux to Conesus Lake, New York, USA

Makarewicz, Joseph C.; Lewis, Theodore W.; Bosch, Isidro; Noll, Mark R.; Herendeen, Nathan; Simon, Robert D.; Zollweg, James A.; Vodacek, Anthony

doi:10.1016/j.jglr.2008.10.006

Cited by 65 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 49 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Other studies have tried to assess the effects of combined BMPs on sediment reduction, but again only at the field scale (Zeimen et al 2006). Fewer studies have attempted to assess these BMPs at a watershed scale (Cullum et al 2006;Locke et al 2008;Zablotowicz et al 2006;Yuan et al 2008;Makarewicz et al 2009). The current study observed continuing improved lake surface water conditions with combined implementation of a variety of BMPs from structural localized edge-of-field practices in 1996 and 2006, to watershed-wide cultural practices such as reduced tillage in 2001 and watershed-wide structural practices such as the CRP in 2003.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of integrated watershed-scale agricultural conservation practices on lake water quality

Lizotte¹,

Knight²,

Locke³

et al. 2014

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Watershed-scale management efforts to improve conservation of water resources in agricultural watersheds depend upon the effectiveness of integrated multiple agricultural best management practices (BMPs). To more comprehensively assess the effectiveness of combined BMPs on water quality requires large-scale, long-term (>10 year) studies measuring key water quality parameters. One such suite of critical water quality parameters includes water clarity, total suspended solids (TSS), and total dissolved solids (TDS). To address this, Beasley Lake, a 25 ha (62 ac) oxbow lake located in a 915 ha (2,261 ac) watershed of intensive row crop agricultural activity, was studied. The lake was sediment impaired when monitoring was initiated in 1995 and was a candidate to assess the effectiveness of watershed-wide BMPs on lake water clarity (as Secchi depth), TSS concentrations, and TDS. A variety of BMPs within row crop fields, at field edges throughout the watershed, and enrollment of 112 ha (277 ac) into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) between 1997 to 2006 focused on reducing soil erosion and concomitant sediment runoff. Selected parameters were measured approximately biweekly from 1996 to 2009. During this 14-year period, changes in row crop management and BMP implementations and alterations were observed and recorded in conjunction with targeted water quality parameters. While annual improvement in water quality occurred, distinct seasonal effects were noticeable. Observed changes in water clarity and TSS concentrations were greatest during spring and least in winter in association with increased BMPs, vegetated buffer strips west of the lake, and CRP north of the lake. Observed decreases in TDS concentrations were greatest during summer and fall in association with implemented CRP north of the lake. Reductions in spring TSS by >60% often directly increased spring water clarity by >100%. Results of this study indicate clear improvement in lake water quality with watershed-wide implementation of integrated multiple agricultural BMPs, and these improvements, manifested most strongly during spring, will assist to promote a healthy, sustainable lake ecosystem.Key words: best management practices-oxbow lake-Secchi depth-total dissolved solids-total suspended solids Intensive row crop agriculture under conventional farming practices utilizes most available arable land. While necessary to feed and clothe a continually growing human population, these practices can often lead to significant soil erosion (Bennett and Chapline 1928) and surface runoff during rainfall events that produce increased loads of suspended sediment and dissolved solids, and decrease water clarity (Dodds and Whiles 2004;Renwick et al. 2008). Despite decades of research and considerable efforts to mitigate suspended sediment loading, suspended sediment continues to be one of the most pernicious pollutants and a significant cause of water quality impairment globally. Suspended sediment has long been known to cause problems in physical terms th...

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of integrated watershed-scale agricultural conservation practices on lake water quality

Lizotte¹,

Knight²,

Locke³

et al. 2014

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This work indicates that row crop agriculture is an important factor contributing to eutrophication, but manure is also an important source of nutrients, reflected by the farming practice of using manure from livestock on croplands as a source of fertilizer. Limited storage capacity for manure in the LSW may lead to applications during periods that are not ideal for crop fertilization, resulting in excess nutrient runoff, such as occurred in the Conesus Lake catchment of New York, USA (Makarewicz et al 2009). Runoff from manure storage facilities in the subwatersheds is also a possibility.…”

Section: Management Implications For Lake Simcoementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Best Management Practices (BMPs) have been successfully implemented in other watersheds, including the Conesus Lake catchment where BMPs had profound effects on nutrient and soil losses (Makarewicz et al 2009). The only significant decreases of TP and SRP concentrations occurred in watersheds where considerable effort went into managing manure and where dairy cows were removed completely (Makarewicz et al 2009).…”

Section: Management Implications For Lake Simcoementioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrient indicators of agricultural impacts in the tributaries of a large lake

North

Winter

Dillon

2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Lake Simcoe in Ontario, Canada, is a large lake surrounded by a mix of urban, agricultural, and less developed areas and is showing adverse effects from excess nutrient inputs, including low hypolimnetic oxygen concentrations. Knowledge of both the quantity and quality of nutrients and seston entering the lake is important because large reductions in phosphorus (P) loads have been proposed to help restore the lake and its coldwater fishery. We examined land use effects on P quality (i.e., bioavailability) and its relationship to seston in the tributaries of Lake Simcoe. Indicators of agricultural impacts were examined in 13 tributaries of Lake Simcoe, which were selected to represent a range of land use types. Bioavailability of P was assessed through analysis of different forms of P and stoichiometric indicators of nutrient status in seston. Nutrient sources were examined using the δ 15 N of seston. The percentage of cropland in the subwatershed had a strong relationship with P as reflected in higher soluble reactive P concentrations and lower indicators of P deficiency. Cropland land use effects were complicated; they contributed highly bioavailable P to a P deficient lake, and at the same time, contributed high seston loads causing turbidity, resulting in light deficiency. In the Lake Simcoe watershed, animal manure application on cropland could be a source of nutrients related to the δ 15 N variability and, correspondingly, bioavailable P. Management efforts should therefore include best management practices to reduce manure application to croplands and to prevent runoff from areas where manure is stored.

show abstract

“…BMPs assessed in past studies have been shown to reduce nutrient levels in agricultural streams (e.g., [21,[57][58][59][60][61][62]). However, results from our study did not suggest that BMPs were enhancing water quality in the studied streams.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agricultural Best Management Practice Abundance and Location does not Influence Stream Ecosystem Function or Water Quality in the Summer Season

Pearce

Yates

2015

Water

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Best management practices (BMPs) are tools commonly used to mitigate negative impacts of agriculture on water quality; however, the relationship between BMPs and aquatic ecological function is unknown. Our research goal was to determine the association between both stream ecosystem metabolism and water quality, and the abundance and location of four different BMPs in agricultural catchments. Dissolved oxygen was measured over a two-week period in mid-June and used to estimate ecosystem metabolism of 13 headwater streams representing a gradient of BMP implementation in Southern Ontario, Canada. Stepwise regression analyses were used to associate stream metabolism and water quality with metrics describing the abundance and location of BMPs within each catchment. Studied streams exhibited rates of metabolism comparable to catchments from other agricultural regions. However, metrics of BMP implementation were not associated with either stream metabolism or water quality. Our results suggest that BMPs in the studied agricultural catchments are not improving water quality or mitigating water quality impacts on stream metabolism during the summer season. We propose that seasonality of catchment hydrology and time lag effects associated with past agricultural land use may be masking the mitigation benefits of BMPs on stream ecosystem conditions during the summer season.

show abstract

The impact of agricultural best management practices on downstream systems: Soil loss and nutrient chemistry and flux to Conesus Lake, New York, USA

Cited by 65 publications

References 49 publications

Influence of integrated watershed-scale agricultural conservation practices on lake water quality

Influence of integrated watershed-scale agricultural conservation practices on lake water quality

Nutrient indicators of agricultural impacts in the tributaries of a large lake

Agricultural Best Management Practice Abundance and Location does not Influence Stream Ecosystem Function or Water Quality in the Summer Season

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About