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Title: EVALUATION OF PERCENT FLOW CAPTURED BY A SMALL, IN-FIELD RUNOFF COLLECTOR

Author
item Franklin, Dorcas
item CABRERA, M - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item Steiner, Jean
item Endale, Dinku
item MILLER, W - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

Submitted to: American Society of Agricultural Engineers
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/1/2000
Publication Date: 12/4/2001
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Public concern of water quality has grown over the last decade. Part of the concern is about nutrient loadings in runoff and stream water. In turn, the need to evaluate land management practices and runoff nutrient loadings at the field scale has heightened. Thus, there is a need for small in-field runoff collectors to assess nutrient movement at the field scale on various land management systems. We modified a runoff sampler previously designed for the relatively flat terrain of the Coastal Plain to accommodate steeper slopes (3 to 15 %), larger flow rates, and channelized flow common in the Southern Piedmont. We conducted a laboratory study with the modified sampler to evaluate the effect of flow rate and slope on percent flow captured. Our results show that slope and flow rate had small or no effects on the percent flow capture of the modified runoff collector. The use of this simple runoff collector in different management systems could help in furthering our knowledge of nutrient, pesticide, microorganisms, and sediment movement from fields into streams.

Technical Abstract: Increased environmental concern about nutrient loadings in runoff and surface water has heightened the need for evaluation of management practices at the field scale. Thus, there is a need for small in-field runoff collectors to assess nutrient migration at the field scale on various land management systems. We modified a runoff sampler previously designed for the relatively flat terrain of the Coastal Plain to accommodate steeper slopes (3 to 15%), larger flow rates, and channelized flow common in the Southern Piedmont. We conducted a laboratory study with the modified sampler to evaluate the effect of flow rate (1 to 5.5 L min-1) and slope (5 and 12%) on percent flow capture. Our results show that slope and flow rate had small or no effects on the percent flow capture of the modified runoff collector. The 95% confidence interval for percent flow capture in a single observation was 10.4+/- 2.5% for the 10X splitter and 2.0 +/- 1.7% for the 100X splitter. The use of this simple runoff collecto in different management systems could help in furthering our knowledge of nutrient, pesticide, microorganisms, and sediment migration from fields into streams.