Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Early Online
    • Archive
    • Subject Collections
  • Info For
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Subscribers
    • Advertisers
  • About
    • About JSWC
    • Editorial Board
    • Permissions
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
    • Contact Us

User menu

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Early Online
    • Archive
    • Subject Collections
  • Info For
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Subscribers
    • Advertisers
  • About
    • About JSWC
    • Editorial Board
    • Permissions
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
    • Contact Us
  • Follow SWCS on Twitter
  • Visit SWCS on Facebook
Research ArticleResearch Section

Water quality effects of simulated conservation practice scenarios in the Little River Experimental watershed

J. Cho, G. Vellidis, D.D. Bosch, R. Lowrance and T. Strickland
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation November 2010, 65 (6) 463-473; DOI: https://doi.org/10.2489/jswc.65.6.463
J. Cho
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
G. Vellidis
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
D.D. Bosch
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
R. Lowrance
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
T. Strickland
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

The goal of this study was to evaluate the water quality effects of alternative conservation practice scenarios using the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model in the Little River Experimental watershed, a representative coastal plain watershed located in southern Georgia. We simulated the water quality effect of two suites of upland conservation practices (CPs)—one targeting erosion and the other targeting nutrients. We also simulated the impact of riparian forest buffers. Finally, we evaluated three different management scenarios for implementing the upland CPs: using a random approach, using subwatershed stream order as a prioritization criterion, and using subwatershed nonpoint source pollutant load as a prioritization criterion. The study showed that using subwatershed nonpoint source pollutant load as a prioritization criterion resulted in the most rapid water quality improvements. This improvement in water quality was nonlinear, while the other implementation schemes yield linear returns. Full implementation of the suite of CPs targeting erosion resulted in the greatest reductions of sediment (54.7%) and total phosphorus (55.9%) loads from upland crop areas. Full implementation of the suite of CPs targeting nutrient reduction resulted in the greatest total nitrogen load reduction (10.3%). Overall, an intact riparian forest buffer offered the most comprehensive reduction of nonpoint source pollutant loads—20.5% for sediment, 19.5% for total phosphorus, and 7.0% for total nitrogen. Simulation results indicate that at the current time, the single greatest contributor to nonpoint source pollutant reduction in the Little River Experimental watershed may be the current level of riparian forest cover.

Footnotes

  • Jaepil Cho is a research associate for the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Northwest Watershed Research Center, Boise, Idaho. George Vellidis is a professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of Georgia, Tifton, Georgia. David D. Bosch is a research hydraulic engineer, Richard Lowrance is a research ecologist, and Timothy Strickland is a supervisory soil scientist for the USDA ARS Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory, Tifton, Georgia.

  • © 2010 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation: 65 (6)
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
Vol. 65, Issue 6
November/December 2010
  • Table of Contents
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Journal of Soil and Water Conservation.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Water quality effects of simulated conservation practice scenarios in the Little River Experimental watershed
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
11 + 0 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
Citation Tools
Water quality effects of simulated conservation practice scenarios in the Little River Experimental watershed
J. Cho, G. Vellidis, D.D. Bosch, R. Lowrance, T. Strickland
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Nov 2010, 65 (6) 463-473; DOI: 10.2489/jswc.65.6.463

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Request Permissions
Share
Water quality effects of simulated conservation practice scenarios in the Little River Experimental watershed
J. Cho, G. Vellidis, D.D. Bosch, R. Lowrance, T. Strickland
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Nov 2010, 65 (6) 463-473; DOI: 10.2489/jswc.65.6.463
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Phytoremediation and high rainfall combine to improve soil and plant health in a North America Northern Great Plains saline sodic soil
  • Combining a saltation impact sensor and a wind tunnel to explore wind erosion processes–A case study in the Zhundong mining area, Xinjiang, China
  • Crop residue cover dynamics for wind erosion control in a dryland, no-till system
Show more Research Section

Similar Articles

Content

  • Current Issue
  • Early Online
  • Archive
  • Subject Collections

Info For

  • Authors
  • Reviewers
  • Subscribers
  • Advertisers

Customer Service

  • Subscriptions
  • Permissions and Reprints
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy

SWCS

  • Membership
  • Publications
  • Meetings and Events
  • Conservation Career Center

© 2022 Soil and Water Conservation Society