Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #127567
Title: ASSESSMENT OF THE WATER QUALITY IMPACTS OF FARMING SYSTEMS BY INTEGRATING DATABASES AND SIMULATION MODELS

Author
item Hatfield, Jerry
item Bucks, Dale
item Ahuja, Lajpat
item Heilman, Philip - Phil
item KANWAR, R - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Watershed Management Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/23/2002
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Evaluation of the impact of agricultural management practices within watersheds is dependent upon being able to quantify the expected response from a range of practices. This will assist the development of water monitoring systems for agricultural watersheds. In 1990 the Management System Evaluation Areas (MSEA) program commenced with the goal of understanding the impact of current and emerging farming practices on water quality. This initial study was conducted across 10 sites throughout the Midwest. One of the products from the MSEA program is a comprehensive database of the pesticides and nutrient concentrations in soil and water resources. These data are coupled with soil, meteorological, and crop parameters. These data have been used to develop and evaluate a decision support system for the various farming practices to determine their effect on water quality. The initial evaluation of this model is being conducted using the data from three sites in Iowa. Data from the other MSEA sites are being used to improve the rigor of the decision support system. This model will be used to evaluate the potential impact of farming systems on water quality. This combination of databases and simulation models will enhance our understanding of water monitoring to assess best management practices.