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

Surface water quality monitoring of an agricultural watershed for nonpoint source pollution control

D.D. Poudel
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation July 2016, 71 (4) 310-326; DOI: https://doi.org/10.2489/jswc.71.4.310
D.D. Poudel
  • 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

Water pollution is a major environmental problem in the United States. To improve the surface water quality of the 2,493 ha (6,160 ac) Coulee Baton watershed in Louisiana, a collaborative nonpoint source pollution control study was initiated in 2004. Conservation measures and best management practices (BMPs) including cross-fencing of pasturelands (726.9 m [2,385 ft]), irrigation land leveling (12.9 ha [32 ac]), grade stabilization structures (two), irrigation water pipeline (975.4 m [3,200 ft]), and a livestock well covering a total of 92.7 ha (229 ac) of agricultural land, and repair or replacement of 80 septic systems in the watershed were voluntarily implemented by landowners and homeowners. Water samples were collected from seven monitoring sites for 66 rain events from September 24, 2009, to August 9, 2011. Laboratory determinations of water samples included total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), total solids (TS), five-day biological oxygen demand (BOD5), nitrate/nitrite-nitrogen (NO3/NO2-N), soluble reactive phosphate (SRP), total phosphorus (TP), total Kjeldahl N (TKN), chloride (Cl), fluoride (Fl), sulfate (SO4), and fecal coliform counts. Surface water temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity, conductivity, and pH were determined in the field using YSI Sonde (YSI Incorporated, Yellow Springs, Ohio). For the watershed, DO, BOD5, and TS concentrations and fecal coliform count ranged, respectively, between 1.2 and 14.1 mg L−1 (ppm), 2 and 40.1 mg L−1, 35 and 5,719 mg L−1, and 400 × 106 and 17 × 106 most probable number (MPN) per 100 mL. The months of March, April, June, and September showed, on average, higher concentrations of TS and TDS, fecal coliform count, NO3/NO2-N, and SRP and TP, respectively. As compared to the ongoing BMPs, the post-BMPs, TSS, NO3/NO2-N, SRP, and BOD5 concentrations, on average, were lower by 56.2%, 23.1%, 82.5%, and 27.4%, respectively. Developed land use types and the failed septic systems were identified as major sources of fecal coliform pollution. These results suggest comprehensive strategies are necessary for effective nonpoint source pollution control in agricultural watersheds.

  • © 2016 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation: 71 (4)
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
Vol. 71, Issue 4
July/August 2016
  • 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.
Surface water quality monitoring of an agricultural watershed for nonpoint source pollution control
(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.
9 + 2 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
Citation Tools
Surface water quality monitoring of an agricultural watershed for nonpoint source pollution control
D.D. Poudel
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Jul 2016, 71 (4) 310-326; DOI: 10.2489/jswc.71.4.310

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Request Permissions
Share
Surface water quality monitoring of an agricultural watershed for nonpoint source pollution control
D.D. Poudel
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Jul 2016, 71 (4) 310-326; DOI: 10.2489/jswc.71.4.310
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike 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...

  • Monitoring fish, benthic invertebrates, and physicochemical properties of surface water for evaluating nonpoint source pollution control in coastal agricultural watersheds
  • Detecting river-scale turbidity disturbance after rainfall using NEXt-Generation Weather RADar (NEXRAD) and the Intelligent River
  • A review of low-grade weirs as an agri-environmental best management practice in the Elginfield Municipal Drain watershed, Ontario, Canada
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

Research Section

  • Why do farmers care about rented land? Investigating the context of farmland tenure
  • Duration of usage and farmer reported benefits of conservation tillage
  • Sources of sediments during rainfall in the dry-hot valley region of China on a small watershed scale
Show more Research Section

Research Manuscripts

  • Soil water infiltration impacted by maize (Zea mays L.) growth on sloping agricultural land of the Loess Plateau
  • Estimating biofuel feedstock water footprints using system dynamics
  • Occurrence, sources, and cancer risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in agricultural soils from the Three Gorges Dam region, China
Show more Research Manuscripts

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

© 2021 Soil and Water Conservation Society