A Methodology for Evaluating the Effectiveness of Watershed-Scale Non-Point Source Pollution Abatement Programs

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Purpose:
The purpose of this project is to develop a methodology that will characterize environmental and water quality benefits of non-point source pollution abatement programs. The approach of this project is to model field-scale pesticide runoff loss and correlate with downstream water quality monitoring data "before" and "after" implementation of environmental restoration. The project is separated in two-phased incremental four-year approach where Phase I will ascertain the efficacy of the environmental restoration activities currently performed in the project watershed, and Phase II will to build upon the calibrated modeling efforts in Phase I to identify "optimal" site specific solutions.

The knowledge gained by conducting this project will provide recommendations for evaluating and improving the efficacy of future non-point source pollution abatement programs in the Big Walnut watershed and other management practice systems across the nation.

Project Scope Of Work (Final_SoW.pdf)

Background Information:
Hoover Reservoir is Central Ohio's largest source of drinking water, providing water to more than 580,000 people. The Upper Big Walnut Creek watershed encompasses nearly 121,600 acres with an estimated 72,000 agricultural cropland acres (60%) that drains into Hoover Reservoir. The City of Columbus' long-term water quality monitoring program of the reservoir has detected infrequent occurrences of elevated levels of the agricultural herbicide atrazine. As a result, the drinking water purveyor requires expensive treatment technology to reduce herbicide levels to within Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) standards. In addition to treatment technology, the City of Columbus and the agricultural community have developed a collaborative partnership to help reduce non-point source runoff.
Since 1999, the USDA's Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) has implemented best management practices (BMPs) on more than 23,000 cropland acres at a cost of about $1 million. Moreover, beginning in 2002, additional USDA funding for riparian corridor protection will exceed $13 million from the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Critical questions remain about the aggregate effectiveness of the BMPs implemented in the watershed. Fortunately, necessary land management, climate and corresponding water quality data exists among the watershed's partners to help characterize "cause and effect" relationships.

Project Documents and links:

Poster Presentation presented at the American Water Works Association Source Water Protection Symposium in Albuquerque, New Mexico January, 2003 (AWWA4.ppt)

November 4, 2002: Kick-Off Meeting Agenda (Agenda.pdf), Minutes (Minutes.pdf) and Presentation (Kick-Off.ppt)

January 8, 2003: GIS Data Review and Validation Meeting Agenda (GISmtgAgenda.pdf) , Minutes (GISmtgMinutes.pdf) and USDA Manual for Managing Geospatial Datasets in Service Centers (Managing Geospatial Datasets Manual ver. 3.0 signed_final.pdf)

Project Partners:
ORSANCO
USEPA - Office of Research and Development
USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service
USDA - NRCS National Water & Climate Center
USDA -Agricultural Research Service
OHIO DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES - Division of Soil and Water Conservation
DELAWARE COUNTY SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT
UPPER BIG WALNUT CREEK WATERSHED PARTNERSHIP
CITY OF COLUMBUS - DIVISON OF WATER - Water Quality Assurance Laboratory
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY - Extension
PURDUE UNIVERSITY - College of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
HEILDELBERG COLLEGE - Water Quality Laboratory
MALCOLM PIRNIE