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ARS Home » Midwest Area » West Lafayette, Indiana » National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #223969
Title: The St. Joseph River Watershed CEAP Project: Highlights of Recent Refocusing of Our Efforts

Author
item Smith, Douglas
item Heathman, Gary
item Pappas, Elizabeth
item Livingston, Stanley
item Stott, Diane
item Flanagan, Dennis
item Huang, Chi Hua

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/1/2008
Publication Date: 9/3/2008
Citation: Smith, D.R., Heathman, G.C., Pappas, E.A., Livingston, S.J., Stott, D.E., Flanagan, D.C., Huang, C. 2008. The St. Joseph River Watershed CEAP Project: Highlights of Recent Refocusing of Our Efforts. The National Sedimentation Laboratory: 50 years of soil and water research in a changing agricultural environment [abstract]. September 3-5, 2008, Oxford, MS. 2008 CDROM.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Monitoring in the St. Joseph River watershed was initiated in 2002. Over the last six years, the focus has been on monitoring surface runoff from fields and discharge from drainage ditches and a natural stream. The watershed lies in one of the areas of the country with the greatest density of subsurface tile drainage. Furthermore, the topography is dominated by depressions or “potholes,” which may be 5 km or more away from a surface water body, but may be directly linked via surface tile risers. Recently, work has shifted toward advancing our knowledge of the hydrology and contaminant fate from these potholes. In 2007, samples for a soil quality assessment were taken from potholes throughout the watershed that represented a number of management practices. We have also started monitoring hydrology and water chemistry from subsurface tiles that drain fields where surface runoff and water chemistry are being monitored. These efforts will assist in providing a greater understanding of the hydrology and contaminant fate and transport from this watershed. Our modeling efforts have also recently been revised. Based on experiences with several models, our future modeling efforts will be with WEPP, RZWQM and SWAT, with the focus to use RZWQM for field scale modeling, with these results being fed to SWAT for the watershed scale modeling and WEPP to provide erosion estimates.