Water Quality Achievable with Agricultural Best Management Practices
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Authors: J. C. Clausen, and D. W. Meals, Jr.
Date: 1989
Journal: Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
Volume: 44
Number: 6
Pages: 593-596
Summary of Methods: Achievable water quality was assessed utilizing studies from the LaPlatte River watershed east of Lake Champlain and the St. Albans Bay watershed 4 km N of Burlington, VT. Vegetation in these areas is a mix of primarily hardwood forests and agricultural land: hay and corn. Streams were monitored for nutrient concentration, load and sediment. Stream stage in both watersheds were measured continuously with bubbler gauges, water samples were collected every 8 hours and analyzed for turbidity and total P, biweekly for dissolved oxygen, and weekly for fecal coliform bacteria in grab samples. BMPs for milkhouse wastes and barnyard runoff were evaluated for load on trophic levels of Vermont lakes. Water quality of agricultural runoff over 7 years was compared with water quality standards.
Article Summary / Main Points: Runoff from filter strips designed dairy milkhouse wastewater and barnyard runoff treatment may not meet performance standards for tertiary treatment or eutrophication indicators even though water quality improved. BMPs evaluated by authors varied considerably in effectiveness, as measured against water quality criteria. Study results showed that while BMPs may effectively reduce pollutant loads and concentrations, runoff may still exceed water quality standards in agricultural watersheds in VT; thus, BMPs must be improved for further water quality improvement.
Vegetation Types: Other (includes Forest and Eastern)
MLRA Ecoregions: 142 St. Lawrence-Champlain Plain
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Agricultural wastewater Nurient excesses
Article Review Type: Peer Reviewed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: agricultural watershed, stream, water quality, nutrient concentrations, fecal coliform, pollutant loads, eutrophication
Annotation: This study was conducted in Vermont. Vegetation included northern hardwood trees and agricultural crops hay and corn. Rather than rangeland grazing, this study looked at effects of dairy farm effluents on watershed water quality though these findings indicate the need of further research of runoff from rangeland grazing systems.
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