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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Oxford, Mississippi » National Sedimentation Laboratory » Water Quality and Ecology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #196438
Title: ANNAGNPS APPLICATION FOR BEASLEY WATERSHED CONSERVATION PRACTICES ASSESSMENT

Author
item YUAN, YONGPING - UNIV OF MISSISSIPPI
item Locke, Martin
item Bingner, Ronald - Ron

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/28/2006
Publication Date: 10/12/2006
Citation: Yuan, Y., Locke, M.A., Bingner, R.L. 2006. ANNAGNPS Application for Beasley Watershed Conservation Practices Assessment. Abstract for SWCS Managing Agricultural Landscapes for Environmental Quality Symposium, Kansas City, October 2006.

Interpretive Summary: Interpretative summary not required. Abstract only.

Technical Abstract: The principal focus of the USDA Conservation Effects Assessment Project-Watershed Assessment Study effort is to produce an assessment of environmental benefits derived from implementing USDA conservation programs. When determining the priority for conservation measures within a watershed for non-point source pollution control, models are valuable tools that can provide clues as to where potential sources of water pollution may be and which problems can most easily be corrected. The USDA Annualized Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution (AnnAGNPS) model is such a model which has been developed to aid in the evaluation of watershed response to agricultural management practices. This paper presents the study performed to identify critical areas for implementing conservation practices and then assess how implementation of those practices would improve water quality in Beasley Lake. Beasley Lake Watershed, located in the Mississippi Delta, is one of the CEAP benchmark watersheds. In this study, the AnnAGNPS was used to simulate the quantity of water and sediment produced from each field within the Beasley Lake Watershed and individual field contributions to the Beasley Lake. The AnnAGNPS model was also utilized to simulate the impact on water quality by implementing varying degrees of conservation programs recommended by the NRCS. Through AnnAGNPS simulations, potential high sediment producing areas were identified, and those areas were targeted for effective non-point source pollution control. The alternative agricultural management options for reducing non-point source pollution and their impacts on water quality are also presented in the paper.