• Nutrients, pesticides, and emerging contaminants in drinking water supplies.
• 11,000 community water systems serving 180 million US customers.
• Emphasis on federal policy and dollars targeted for conservation programs.
• Excessive agrichemical concentrations in Hoover Reservoir requiring high cost treatment prior to delivery.
• Extensive subsurface tile drainage in watershed.
• 800,000 City of Columbus residents receive drinking water from Hoover Reservoir.

• Identify, develop, and quantify watershed scale water quality impacts of conservation practices.

Objective:

• Quantify the watershed scale water chemistry impacts of precision nutrient management and pesticide management

Approach:

• Paired design using both channelized and unchannelized streams; each watershed has an approximate 2 square mile drainage area

• Paired design is valid and appropriate for these research sites.
• Three years of baseline data on each of four targeted watersheds.
• Field level management records collected for 70% of cropped area.
• Development, release, and implementation of a special Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) targeting precision nutrient management and pesticide management.
• Pesticide management practices significantly reduce stream level atrazine concentrations.

Objective:

• Characterize the hydrology of channelized versus nonchannelized streams.

Approach:

• Two years of hydrology measurements on two channelized and two nonchannelized streams within UBWC watershed.

• Hydrology of channelized and unchannelized streams is different.
• Measured differences in hydrology primarily realized in summer and winter.
• Headwater streams in UBWC watershed generally follow the accepted hydrology paradigm for headwater streams.

Objective:

• Assess the benefits and costs of implementing conservation practices in the Upper Big Walnut Creek watershed.

Approach:

• Conjoint analysis to determine value of improved drinking water.

• For every dollar spent on conservation practices the City of Columbus saved $2.58 on activated carbon.
• Atrazine concentrations in Hoover Reservoir were reduced.