Author
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Boyer, Douglas |
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Submitted to: Journal of the American Water Resources Association
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 1/27/2005 Publication Date: 5/11/2005 Citation: Boyer, D.G. 2005. Water quality improvement program effectiveness for carbonate aquifers in grazed land watersheds. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Paper No. 04018, pp. 291-300. April 2005. Interpretive Summary: Publicly funded programs to improve water quality are common and have been crucial for protecting and improving water quality in agricultural areas. A publicly-funded water quality improvement program was initiated in southern WV. A study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of the improvement program on the water quality of two agriculturally-impacted karst areas. Both areas are tributaries of the Greenbrier River and received funding for best management practices under the President's Initiative for Water Quality and then under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). There was little evidence that the water quality improvement programs were having a consistent, significant effect on nitrate-N concentrations or fecal coliform densities at the watershed scale in the karst basins studied. Although there were a few indicators of some improvement in water quality, there was also one indicator of worsening water quality (fecal coliform densities) and several instances of no significant trends. Success of forage management practices led to improvements in forage quality and production that led to higher livestock populations. The higher numbers of livestock subsequently contributed more fecal bacteria and nutrients to the karst aquifers. A careful analysis of the balance between agricultural production goals, water quality goals, and the inherently environmental sensitivity of karst areas is necessary in order to maintain an economically viable agribusiness while protecting natural resources. Technical Abstract: Water quality of two agriculturally impacted karst areas in southeastern West Virginia was studied to determine the water quality effects of grazing livestock and water quality trends following initiation of government-funded water quality improvement programs. Both areas are tributaries of the Greenbrier River and received funding for best management practices under the President's Initiative for Water Quality and then under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). After eleven years of study there was little evidence to suggest that water quality improved in one area. Three and a half years of study in the other area showed little evidence of water quality improvement under EQIP. Lack of water quality improvement at the catchment scale does not necessarily mean that the voluntary programs were failures. The heterogeneous character and under drained nature of karst areas make their hydrology difficult to understand. Practices that target smaller problem areas might be one way to improve water quality at catchment scales in karst basins. For example, in one small, targeted sinkhole area significant decreases in fecal coliform densities were observed in its subterranean drainage stream after dairy cattle were permanently excluded from the sinkhole area. |
