United States Department of National Program 211: Agriculture Water Availability & Watershed Research, Education, and Management Economics AGRICULTURAL ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORT 2007-2011 RESEARCH SERVICE Office of National Programs JANUARY 2012 Captions of front page photos, clockwise from upper left: 1. Site of the 90-square-mile Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed in the 2 Owyhee Mountains about 50 miles southwest of Boise, Idaho. Photo by Scott 1 Bauer/ARS. 2. Subsurface tile discharge to Tipton Creek in north-central Iowa. This drainage main is a 36-inch diameter clay pipe draining over 4000 acres of 3 cropland. Note white conduit connecting to depth velocity sensors and water sampling equipment. Photo by Mark Tomer/ARS. 4 3. Computer-controlled center pivot irrigation systems can be connected by modem to radios or telephones so farmers can run them remotely. Photo by Doug Wilson/ARS. 4. Massive erosion in which gully formed and extended 375 m during a 229 mm rain event during tropical storm Erin in the Fort Cobb Reservoir watershed in southwestern Oklahoma on August 19, 2007. Photo by Patrick J. Starks/ARS. National Program 211 Water Availability & Watershed Management ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORT 2007-2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS National Program 211 Introduction Background and General Information ...........................................................................................1 Planning and Coordination for the NP 211 5-Year Cycle ..................................................................2 Structure of NP 211 ...................................................................................................................4 Relationship of NP 211 to other national programs and collaborations with partners outside of ARS .........7 How this report was constructed and what it reflects ......................................................................11 NP 211 Problem Area 1 – EFFECTIVENESS OF CONSERVATION PRACTICES .............................................13 Theme 1: Organized efforts and data from ARS research watersheds ................................................13 Theme 2: Evidence of water quality and ecological benefits ............................................................14 Theme 3: Models for assessing conservation effects at watershed and regional scales ...........................18 Literature Cited for Problem Area 1 ............................................................................................22 NP 211 Problem Area 2 – IRRIGATION WATER MANAGEMENT ..............................................................26 Theme 1: Managing and scheduling irrigation for efficient water use ................................................26 Theme 2: Innovative surface and subsurface irrigation tools and techniques .......................................28 Theme 3: Improved irrigation and cropping for reuse of degraded water ............................................31 Theme 4: Sensor technologies for site specific irrigation water management.......................................32 Theme 5: Cropping and management strategies under limited water supplies ......................................34 Literature Cited for Problem Area 2 ............................................................................................35 NP 211 Problem Area 3 – DRAINAGE WATER MANAGEMENT ...............................................................39 Theme 1: Crop production and environmental benefits of drainage water management .........................39 Theme 2: On-site treatment technology for drainage water .............................................................41 Theme 3: Tools and models for assessing impacts of drainage water management ...............................42 Literature Cited for Problem Area 3 ...........................................................................................44 NP 211 Problem Area 4 – INTEGRATED SOIL EROSION AND SEDIMENTATION TECHNOLOGIES .................46 Theme 1: Improved science for targeting erosion control and assessment ...........................................46 Theme 2: Tools for assessing potential earthen embankment breach..................................................49 Theme 3: Erosion control techniques and strategies .......................................................................50 Theme 4: Development of erosion prediction models and assessment tools ........................................52 Literature Cited for Problem Area 4 ............................................................................................53 National Program 211 Water Availability & Watershed Management ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORT 2007-2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS NP 211 Problem Area 5 – WATERSHED MANAGEMENT, WATER AVAILABILITY, AND ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION ..................................................................................................................................56 Theme 1: Production and management systems that improve water quality and quantity .......................56 Theme 2: Habitat restoration and ecology ....................................................................................58 Theme 3: Climate and climate change effects on the environment and hydrology ...............................59 Theme 4: Remote sensing and in-situ technologies for water resource management .............................64 Literature Cited for Problem Area 5 ............................................................................................68 NP 211 Problem Area 6 – WATER QUALITY PROTECTION SYSTEMS ......................................................72 Theme 1: Nutrient management practices that minimize off-site transport ..........................................72 Theme 2: Remediation of agricultural pollutants ...........................................................................75 Theme 3: Quantifying agricultural chemicals and pathogens in the environment..................................78 Literature Cited for Problem Area 6 ............................................................................................81 APPENDIXES ..................................................................................................................................85 APPENDIX 1 – Research Projects in National Program 211 ..........................................................85 APPENDIX 2 – Publications by Research Project ........................................................................97 APPENDIX 3 – The Agricultural Research Service Water Resource Research National Program Action Plan 2006-2010 ..................................................................................191 United States Department of Agriculture Research, Education, and Economics AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE National Program 211 Water Availability & Watershed Management Accomplishment Report 2007-2011 BACKGROUND AND GENERAL INFORMATION This report is a compilation of some of the most significant research accomplishments of the past 5 years achieved by scientists working in the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) National Program 211 (NP211) Water Availability and Watershed Management (previously Water Resource Management). The NP211 mission is twofold: (1) to conduct research on the processes that control water availability and quality for the health and economic growth of U.S. citizens; and (2) to apply this new knowledge to develop new and improved technologies for managing the Nation’s agricultural and water resources. Advances in knowledge and technologies provide producers, action agencies, local communities, and resource advisors with the practices, tools, models, and decision support systems they need to improve water conservation and water use efficiency in agriculture, enhance water quality, protect rural and urban communities from the ravages of drought and floods, improve agricultural and urban watershed management, and prevent the degradation of riparian areas, wetlands, and stream corridors. At the start of the period of record, NP211 consisted of approximately 43 primary projects and 23 contributing projects located in 24 different states (see Appendix 1). The more than 146 scientists working within this national program represent multidisciplinary teams that include specialists in agricultural engineering, civil and hydraulic engineering, agronomy, biology, ecology, geography, geology, hydrology, chemistry, physical science, or soil science. Water is fundamental to life and a basic requirement for virtually all of our agricultural, industrial, urban, and recreational activities, as well as for the sustained health of our natural ecosystems. In that sense, the activities and accomplishments described in this report have at least some relevance to nearly every other ARS national program. At the global scale, the availability of fresh water is strongly linked to food security. During the last century, Earth’s human population tripled, but the global demand for Earth’s finite supply of available fresh water increased six-fold. According to the United Nations, more than a billion people still live without access to clean water, while more than 2.4 billion people lack the basic sanitation needed for human health. To help address these important global concerns, in December 2010, Secretary Vilsack approved the USDA Global Food Security Action Plan, subsequently endorsed by US-AID and the State Department (visit the Feed the Future website at http://www.feedthefuture.gov). ARS NP 211 Accomplishment Report 2007-2011: Introduction In more advanced economies, clean water availability is increasingly threatened due to contamination from agriculture (e.g., crop fertilizers and animal manure), urban sources (e.g., storm and wastewater runoff, pharmaceuticals, disinfection byproducts) and industry. Since 2009, global concerns about the effects of climate change on water availability have also come to the forefront. At the same time, agriculture has been called upon to help meet the Nation’s energy needs by increasing the production of renewable biofuel feedstocks. In October 2010, Secretary Vilsack formally announced the establishment of five regional USDA Biomass Research Centers to help ensure the availability of dependable supplies of the feedstocks needed for the production of advanced biofuels to meet legislated goals and market demand, and enable as many rural areas across the country as possible to participate and benefit economically. All of these issues significantly affect water availability (quantity and quality). In light of these serious and growing problems, the importance of conserving water resources has never been greater. During the 5-year period covered by this report, examples of ARS accomplishments in water- related research include: 1) remote sensing tools to assess the availability of soil water in the root zone for drought detection; 2) a watershed model, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), for national assessment of conservation effects; 3) irrigation scheduling tools for the Texas High Plains, where water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer are rapidly declining; 4) a model to simulate plant responses to water deficit that allows producers to make management decisions to improve the efficiency of irrigation water use; 6) demonstrating that drainage water management and/or controlled drainage can increase crop yield and reduce nutrient losses to aquatic ecosystems; 7) a Rangeland and Hydrology and Erosion Model (RHEM) for managing western rangelands; 8) a manure injection technology that lowers both odor and ammonia emissions to air and reduces phosphorus in runoff waters; 9) a pesticide index, based on long-term watershed data, that explains pesticide transport as a function of planting, crop development, rainfall, and dissipation in soil; and 10) new surface irrigation management software that can be used to calibrate radial gates and automatically control canal gates to minimize water spills. In assessing conservation effects, ARS scientists have demonstrated the water quality benefits of riparian buffers, cover crops, wetlands, and developed new innovative on-site treatment technologies such as low-grade vegetative ditches and a gypsum curtain. Many more significant accomplishments are highlighted in the main portion of this report. New knowledge generated by NP211 scientists has led to better farming, conservation, and water management practices. The water quality information from long-term watersheds and the many water management tools are used by a host government agencies, researchers, customers, and stakeholders. Examples include: 1) the Automated Canal Management Program – SacMan; 2) the Integrated Hydraulic Analysis for Surface irrigation WinSRFR; 3) the Dam Safety Analysis Model – WinDAM; and 4) Bank Stability and Toe Erosion Model – BSTEM. PLANNING AND COORDINATION FOR THE NP 211 5-YEAR CYCLE The NP211 2006-2010 Action Plan served as the guide for research conducted within this national program through 2011. The plan was drafted in 2005 by a writing team composed of ARS scientists and members of the NP211 National Program Leader (NPL) team. Incorporating input from more than 200 scientists, administrators, customers, and stakeholders who attended the NP 211 National Program Workshop in June 2005, the NPLs’ knowledge of the subject matter and national needs, ARS scientists unable to attend the workshop, and an assessment of 2 ARS NP 211 Accomplishment Report 2007-2011: Introduction NP 211’s impact during the previous 5 year program cycle, the writing team prioritized the research needs identified by these various contributors in light of ARS base funding and other resources. Inputs from the NP211 NPL team included those gathered from participation in various USDA and interagency water-related programs, committees, and meetings, recent reports published by the National Academy of Science, the National Science and Technology Council, and the U.S. Government Accountability Office, and research needs identified by, and subsequent activities arising from, the Agricultural Water Security Listening Session held in September 2004 at Park City, Utah. Individual research needs were then aggregated into six problem areas, with distinct products, outputs, and outcomes proposed under each problem area. The final action plan guided the development of new individual NP211 research projects that began the current 5-year research cycle in 2007. Individual NP211 project plans were then written to address one or more of these six problem areas, focusing on specific products, outputs, and outcomes as relevant to each participating research location. Project plans were evaluated for scientific quality and feasibility by external peer review panels through ARS’s Office of Scientific Quality Review (OSQR) during 2006. The ARS Peer Review Process is an essential part of the 5-year ARS research program cycle. The process was mandated by the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998, that required successful completion of peer review as a prerequisite to perform research. Each research project in every ARS national program includes statements of the agricultural problem(s) being addressed, the anticipated outputs or information to be generated by the project, how the planned research contributes to mitigating or solving the larger national program problem statements, and timelines and milestones for measuring progress toward achieving project objectives. Project plans were revised in response to review panel recommendations as needed, and then implemented in late 2006/early 2007. The next 5-year research cycle for NP211 has already begun, with a new Action Plan written for 2011-2015. New plans for individual research projects have already been subject to formal prospective review, and are currently undergoing revisions as necessary, followed by official certification. Coordination and planning for NP 211 are the tasks of the NP 211 leadership team. Among other things, this team coordinates NP 211 activities with those of other ARS national programs, other agencies, and other departments. Some of the interagency research coordination associated with NP 211 is conducted through Federal Interagency Committees like: (1) the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (CENR) (the relevant National Science and Technology Council committee for water research) Subcommittee on Water Availability and Quality (SWAQ); (2) the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force, charged by Congress with conducting a reassessment of (i) nutrient load reductions and the response of the hypoxic zone, (ii) water quality throughout the Mississippi River Basin, and (iii) economic and social effects; (3) the Advisory Committee on Water Information (ACWI) Subcommittee on Sedimentation; (4) the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) Steering Committee; (5) various working groups of the US Climate Change Science Program; and (6) the Interagency Water Working Group chaired by the State Department. The NP 211 team also confers and coordinates with colleagues from other USDA agencies, including the Economic Research Service, the Farm Services Agency, the Foreign Agricultural Service, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the U.S. Forest Service, both individually and in association with 3 ARS NP 211 Accomplishment Report 2007-2011: Introduction USDA interagency committees including: (1) the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board, which evaluates USDA Research and Development Programs and provides recommendations to the Secretary and REE Undersecretaries; (2) the USDA Drought Team and the USDA Working Group on Water Resources; and (3) the USDA Water Team. Figure 1: Primary (black) and contributing (blue) locations that contribute research to National Program 211, Water Availability & Watershed Management. Open circles (black) indicate projects that moved or left the program during the course of the Action Plan. Customer and stakeholder interaction and research coordination continue to play important roles in helping NPLs guide NP 211 research to maintain its relevance to U.S. agriculture. NP 211 NPLs attended or organized numerous research planning, coordination, and stakeholder workshops during 2006-2011. These workshops addressed a variety of agriculturally-relevant topics including specific challenges, emerging high-priority issues, and new scientific developments in fields related to water availability and watershed management. STRUCTURE OF NP 211 The approach for this National Program is to address the highest priorities for agricultural water management. The core concept in formulating NP211 research projects is based on the progression of science and technology development. This includes: basic understanding of the scientific principles; verification of concepts and designs at the field scale; development of practice standards for field implementations; assessment of aggregated effects from different management practices; and finally delivering models and tools that can be used the users and customers. 4 ARS NP 211 Accomplishment Report 2007-2011: Introduction The NP 211 Action Plan (2006-2010) was composed of the following six components that together and in concert with other national programs, worked to achieve breakthroughs in the understanding and management of water quantity and quality at scales ranging from fields to watersheds to landscapes to regional to global, to maintain or enhance agricultural production, environmental quality, and our natural resource base. ARS Action Plans are living documents that can be changed in light of emerging problems and needs, new techniques, and new information. PROBLEM AREA 1: EFFECTIVENESS OF CONSERVATION PRACTICES. Understanding the complexities how conservation practices interact with biological, chemical, and physical processes at watershed and landscape scales is critical to properly evaluating the effectiveness of USDA’s significant investment in conservation programs. The goals of this Problem Area are to: (1) develop technologies for the detailed assessment of conservation programs at the watershed scale; (2) validate and improve the models used to analyze relevant biological, chemical, and physical processes; and (3) support coordinated research on the effects of conservation practices across a range of resource characteristics (e.g., climate, terrain, land use, soils). Accomplishments in this component serve the needs of USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service and Farm Services Agency, helping farmers to maximize production while minimizing the impacts of agriculture on our natural resources. PROBLEM AREA 2: IRRIGATION WATER MANAGEMENT Irrigated agriculture produces 60% of crop market value on less than 20% of the cultivated land in the US, but doing so accounts for approximately 80% of the consumptive use of freshwater in the US, with growing competition from urban, suburban, and industrial sectors. Research in this Problem Area focuses on improving the efficiency of agricultural water use in both arid and humid regions, including developing technologies and practices for using alternate water sources (i.e., re-use of degraded waters) to support agricultural production. Anticipated outcomes and products include: (1) improved irrigation scheduling tools and water delivery technologies; (2) on- site sensors or remote sensing techniques to measure soil water content and plant responses for site specific irrigation water management; (3) cropping and management strategies under limited water supplies and using degraded waters; and (4) tools for irrigation scheduling in humid regions. PROBLEM AREA 3: DRAINAGE WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS Surface and subsurface drainage water management (DWM) systems are crucial for mitigating the environmental impacts of agricultural drainage waters in both rainfed and irrigated croplands, well-known as major contributors of nonpoint source pollution to streams and lakes. Research in this problem area focuses on the specific guidelines and tools needed for both surface and subsurface drainage water management systems to minimize the impacts of drainage on water quality, including design specifications, installation protocols, and automation techniques, with associated evaluation of their effects on water quantity and quality, soil quality, and wildlife benefits, and the incorporation of improved drainage water management systems into environmental and economic decision support systems. Research in this Problem Area is of particular 5 ARS NP 211 Accomplishment Report 2007-2011: Introduction interest to USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service, in light of their recently announced (2011) Drainage Water Management Initiative. PROBLEM AREA 4: INTEGTRATED EROSION AND SEDIMENTATION TECHNOLOGIES Because it is linked to both soil fertility and costly negative impacts on channel evolution, flooding, water and air quality, controlling soil erosion is an essential component of developing sustainable agricultural production systems. Customers identified two basic needs: (1) better erosion control technologies; and (2) improved decision support systems for planning and assessment. Thus the research focus of this Problem Area is shifting from the traditional study of rainfall-runoff induced sediment detachment and transport processes, towards quantifying subsurface hydrologic effects on ephemeral gully formation and stream bank erosion and identifying sediment sources on the landscape for targeting control strategies. Assessment tools and techniques to prevent concentrated flow erosion in irrigation furrows, and in earthen spillways and embankments associated with flood control structures, are also important. This latter research is particularly important to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, charged with managing and/or rehabilitating thousands of earthen dams and embankments that are reaching the end of the recommended life span. PROBLEM AREA 5: WATERSHED MANAGEMENT, WATER AVAILABILITY, AND ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION Society relies on adequate freshwater resources to support populations, agriculture, industry, wildlife habitat, aquatic ecosystems, and a healthy environment. Because agricultural watersheds, including crop, pasture, and range lands, account for more than 70% of the land surface in the continental US, agricultural watershed management plays a dominant role in managing the Nation’s freshwater resources. As exemplified by research in this Problem Area, the primary research challenge remains developing and applying an integrated research approach, based on ecological, geomorphic, and hydrological principles, to develop better understanding and management of water availability, allocation potential, and their impacts on wetlands, riparian ecosystems, and associated fluvial systems, at the watershed scale. Research in this Problem Area focuses on: (1) developing Best Management Practices (BMPs), assessment tools, and decision support systems for managing water quantity and quality in a variety of watersheds, landscapes, and climates; and (2) improving a variety of tools (e.g., simulation models, remote sensing techniques) to improve estimates of water budgets and their components, including water quality assessments and assessments of flood and drought risk. Products of this research are of interest to a variety of Federal agencies including the National Weather Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, to improve understanding and prediction of weather, climate, and atmospheric processes at a range of scales, and using satellite-collected by satellites and other types of remote sensing data. PROBLEM AREA 6: WATER QUALITY PROTECTION SYSTEMS 6