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ARS Home » Midwest Area » West Lafayette, Indiana » National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #64145
Title: APPLICATION OF WEPP TO AGRICULTURAL LANDS

Author
item Flanagan, Dennis
item WEESIES, GLENN - USDA-NRCS
item Nearing, Mark
item Laflen, John

Submitted to: Soil Conservation and Water Quality Symposium Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/10/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The WEPP model will be applied to a wide variety of situations on agricultural lands. The primary users will be conservationists with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Other users will include USDA Forest Service (FS) and USDI Bureau of Land Management (BLM) personnel, farmers, ranchers, Extension agents, agriculture teachers and consultants. The WEPP model estimates sheet and rill erosion, concentrated flow erosion, and sediment yield from specific field sites. The primary application of the model is to predict erosion and sediment yield for the existing conditions at a field site, and also for a set of alternative conservation practices. The model results then assist the local conservationist and land manager in the development of a resource management system for the selected site that addresses one or more of the following objectives: 1. control on-site soil erosion to maintain site productivity for crop or range production; 2. control on-site deposition to minimize damage to crops; 3. control off-site sediment yield to reduce the impact on the water quality of streams, rivers, and lakes; and, 4. control off-site sediment yield to prevent excessive damage due to sedimentation in ditches and other drainageways. The WEPP model allows application to situations previously not possible with other natural resource models. The channel and impoundment components allow a comprehensive erosion estimate for an entire field, including sediment lost from ephemeral gullies. The spatial erosion output provided by the model allows users to pinpoint erosion control practices.