Location: Great Plains Agroclimate and Natural Resources Research
Project Number: 3070-13000-013-004-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2020
End Date: Sep 30, 2023
Objective:
Principal focus of the CEAP Watershed Studies is to evaluate the effects and
benefits of conservation practices at the watershed scale, in support of policy
decisions and program implementation. The overall goals of the CEAP are to:
• Estimate conservation effects and benefits at regional and national scales; and
• Develop scientific understanding of conservation practice effects at watershed
scales.
The goals of the CEAP Watershed Assessment Studies Components are:
• Quantify the measurable effects of conservation practices at the watershed scale;
• Enhance understanding of conservation effects in the biophysical setting of a
watershed;and
• Inform local watershed conservation strategies.
Approach:
The effects of conservation activities on water and soil quality will be assessed
at the watershed scale using models such as ARS' Soil and Water Assessment Tool, in combination with ARS long-term watershed data sets, expertise, and resources.
Problems to be addressed through this agreement include the following four areas:
1.1 New and innovative modeling and assessment tools to quantify sediment and
contaminant transport on the landscape.
1.2 Understanding how to select, place, and combine conservation practices to
achieve improvements in water quantity and quality in watersheds.
1.3 Improving conservation technologies to better protect water resources:
Development and testing of new designs, equipment, and materials.
1.4 Ensuring conservation and agricultural management practices can increase
agricultural profitability and resilience under changing climate and land use.
