local water quality and watersheds raccoon river & des ......raccoon river nitrate raccoon river...
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Local Water Quality and Watersheds
Raccoon River & Des Moines River
Watersheds
Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico: Implications and
Strategies for Iowa
October 16, 2008
Ames, Iowa
Chris Jones and Roger Wolf
Finished Water Nitrate: Fleur Drive
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mg/
L as
N
Fleur Drive Plant Finished Water Nitrate-N
1958: 1st year
over 1 mg/L
1969: 1st year
over 1 mg/L
1979: problem emerges,
8.2 mg/L average
1992: Removal
begins1999: Maffitt
Raccoon River NitrateRaccoon River Ave Monthly Concentration 1974-2007
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392
mg
/L a
s N
Des Moines River NitrateDes Moines River Average Monthly Nitrate-N 1974-2007
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mg
/l a
s N
Ion Exchange Nitrate Removal
What to do?
• Non-point source origins
• No stream standards
• No nutrient criteria
• No comprehensive plan to address
• Source water impairment
• Data upstream lacking
History DMWW – ACWA Collaboration
• DMWW Initiated Water Sampling Program in 1999 with
EPA grant
• Ag retailers and service providers in the Raccoon River
watershed meet with DMWW
• Organized ACWA as 501c3 in 2000
• In 2008 expanded membership into Des Moines River
watershed.
• Sell and apply most of the nutrients used on cropland in
the watersheds.
History ACWA• Mission: To reduce the nutrient loss – specifically nitrate – from
farm fields and to keep the nutrients from entering the Raccoon
and Des Moines River’s and connecting tributaries
• Annual assessment based on amount of Nitrogen fertilizer sold
previous year for application in watersheds
• Funding supports annual work plan approved by ACWA Board
• ACWA management is provided under contract with Association
Insight a subsidiary of Iowa Soybean Association
ACWA Objectives
• Be credible source of data regarding
nutrients entering the rivers.
• Establish ACWA as a bridge between
science and its application on the
land.
• Apply “best management practices” to
encourage
– Sound economics
– Strong environmental stewardship
• To know:
– the condition of the watershed
– characterization of the
problems and priorities – i.e..
location, extent, pathway, fate
– if strategies are effective
• We need:
– action based on what we learn
– dependable, systematic,
credible and responsive
monitoring and surveillance
Objectives ACWA –
DMWW Collaboration
Types of Monitoring• Refined Ambient / Certified Sampling
– Nitrate and Bacteria
• Real-time Remote Monitoring
• Investigative Monitoring
– Ammonia
– Cyanobacteria
• Effectiveness and Special Project Monitoring
– Bioreactors
– Event-triggered monitoring
– Paired micro-watershed studies (Lyons Creek)
– PPCPs
What Did We Uncover?
What did we uncover?
Watersheds with resource concerns:
• Outlet Creek
• Elk Run Creek
• Brushy Creek
• West Buttrick Creek
• Boone River
Real Time Monitoring
Probe
VM Nitrate vs SRR flow and NRR flow
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4/29
/200
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5/6/200
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/200
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5/20
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5/27
/200
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/200
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/200
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/200
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cfs
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/L
South Raccoon North Raccoon VM Nitrate
What Actions Did We Take?
• Targeted watershed projects
• Special projects
Brushy Creek
• Two year study of Bacteria sources/fate/transport
with Des Moines Water Works and the IDNR
• Contract with Iowa Soybean Association
• Sampling during flow events. 10 – 15 samples
per week
• Identified hotspots and site specific problems
• Led to local meetings and additional focus for
targeted solutions
• Also illustrated significant challenges with
understanding sources and in-stream dynamics
• DMWW leads WIRB grant approved 2008
• Will work with multiple local partners
Iowa Soybean Association Environmental Programs
• Objective: Advance agricultural leadership for environmental quality by developing, applying, and promoting programs that assist producers to perform agronomically and economically.
West Buttrick Creek
Actions taken –1) Cooperative project initiated with public and
private partners
2) Completion of Area Wide Plan; implementation of water monitoring plan
3) NRCS programs - additional funding provided for 50 individual nutrient and pests mgmt. plans, RMS planning
4) ISA mgmt. evaluation (guided stalk sampling & strip trials since 2002).
West Buttrick Creek
Resource concern -1) Water quality (nitrate, pesticide,
livestock runoff, lack of nutrient and pest mgmt. plans)
2) Soil quality (sheet, gully, and streambank erosion)
Response –
1) Greene SWCD / NRCS - 50+ nutrient mgmt.
plans; 65+ pest mgmt. plans; 50+ RMS
plans
2) ISA has worked with 50+ growers (approx.
2/3 of watershed) on mgmt. evaluation
3) Farmers fine tuning nutrient management
beyond recommendations
West Buttrick Creek
Status / outlook1) Area Wide plan implemented – ready for
update
2) Nitrate reductions observed, but could be
weather related
3) Additional mgmt and conservation efforts are
needed beyond just nutrient mgmt.
4) IDALS – Greene SWCD /NRCS installed
CREP wetland in 2007
5) ACWA and Sand County Foundation
supported Bioreactor installation in 2008 –
effectiveness monitoring underway
West Buttrick Creek
Boone River Watershed
Water Monitoring
• Multi-partnership effort
• 30 Sampling locations; HUC 12 Scale
• Nutrients and Bacteria
• Target “hot spots” – Priority watersheds
• Establish baseline; target priority issues
• Roll water monitoring into ACWA DSM River
water monitoring
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Boone River: Priority Sub Watershed
ISA Nitrogen management evaluation:
2004 corn stalk sampling – 28 growers; 245
samples collected
2005 corn stalk sampling – 31 growers; 318
samples collected
33 On-Farm demo trials (commercial & manure)
2006 corn stalk sampling – 55 growers; 440
samples collected
50+ On-Farm demonstration trials
2007 corn stalk sampling – 56 growers; 466
samples collected
Watershed Planning & Implementation –Multi-partnership effort; sub-watersheds identified
(Prairie Rivers RC&D, Hamilton SWCD, TNC,
CARD, ISU)
Funding – USEPA, Altria, Pioneer, Soybean
Checkoff, Leopold Center, ACWA, IDALS, DNR
2006 Corn Stalk Nitrate Analysis (Boone River) :
Comparison Between Growers
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Grower
Nit
rate
(p
pm
N)
Stalk Samples
Optim
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Boone River – Rapid Watershed Assessment
Make Decisions5. Develop alternatives6. Evaluate alternatives
7. Make decisions
Know the Planning Area1. Identify resource concerns
2. Determine objectives
3. Conduct inventories
4. Analyze resource data
Implement &
Evaluate8. Implement the plan9. Evaluate the plan
Phase I
Phase IIIPhase II
Planning Process - Area Wide Plans;
Watershed Assessments - Action
• Boone River RWA &
TNC’s Conservation Action
Plan
• Lyons Creek – Paired
Watershed Study
• ISA Conservation
Innovation Grant
• Proposal to conduct
Market-based feasibility
study
Lyons Creek Paired Watershed Study
• 600 – 1,100 acres
• Two treatment; one control
• Calibration – year 1
• Partnering with TNC, Iowa GSB, others
Lyons Creek Paired Watershed Study
• Collaborating with UHL
• Better understand nutrient dynamics in tile
drainage system
• Evaluate effectiveness of conservation
practices to reduce non-point source loads
• Existing drainage districts
• Working relationship with landowners;
willingness to implement
• Management change – nutrient management,
cover crops, strip tillage, other
• Multiple years
• Multiple grants to support
Nitrate not the only problem
Thank You
Discussion / Questions