Location: Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory
Project Number: 8042-13610-030-028-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Jul 31, 2021
End Date: Sep 30, 2024
Objective:
This agreement describes a partnership between the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to achieve conservation goals of mutual benefit, as part of the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP). Through this agreement, the NRCS proposes to contribute funding to enhance and accelerate the completion of research and assessment, and associated products and outcomes, contained within the ARS
National Program 211 Water Availability and Watershed Management Action Plan.
and includes objectives of particular interest to NRCS to support conservation activities.
The 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 programimplementation.
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:
New and innovative modeling and assessment tools to quantify sediment and contaminant transport on the landscape.
Understanding how to select, place, and combine conservation practices to achieve improvements in water quantity and quality in watersheds.
Improving conservation technologies to better protect water resources: Development and testing of new designs, equipment, and materials.
Ensuring conservation and agricultural management practices can increase agricultural profitability and resilience under changing climate and land use.
