Understanding and Minimizing Impacts of Agricultural Pesticides on Small Water Systems Using Surface Water

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Spatial Optimization of Six Conservation Practices Using Swat in Tile‐Drained Agricultural Watersheds

Targeting of agricultural conservation practices to the most effective locations in a watershed can promote wise use of conservation funds to protect surface waters from agricultural nonpoint source pollution. A spatial optimization procedure using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool was used to target six widely used conservation practices, namely no‐tillage, cereal rye cover crops (CC), filter strips (FS), grassed waterways (GW), created wetlands, and restored prairie habitats, in two west‐central Indiana watersheds. These watersheds were small, fairly flat, extensively agricultural, and heavily subsurface tile‐drained. The targeting approach was also used to evaluate the model's representation of conservation practices in cost and water quality improvement, defined as export of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and sediment from cropped fields. FS, GW, and habitats were the most effective at improving water quality, while CC and wetlands made the greatest water quality improvement in lands with multiple existing conservation practices. Spatial optimization resulted in similar cost‐environmental benefit tradeoff curves for each watershed, with the greatest possible water quality improvement being a reduction in total pollutant loads by approximately 60%, with nitrogen reduced by 20‐30%, phosphorus by 70%, and sediment by 80‐90%.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112253/1/jawr12338.pd

Adaptive Targeting: Engaging Farmers to Improve Targeting and Adoption of Agricultural Conservation Practices

Targeting of agricultural conservation practices to cost‐effective locations has long been of interest to watershed managers, yet its implementation cannot succeed without meaningful engagement of agricultural producers who are decision makers on the lands they farm. In this study, we engaged 14 west‐central Indiana producers and landowners in an adaptive targeting experiment. Interviews carried out prior to targeting provided rich spatial information on existing conservation practices as well as producers' preferences for future conservation projects. We targeted six of the most accepted conservation practices using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool and spatial optimization using a genetic algorithm approach. Fairly optimal conservation scenarios were possible with even the most limiting constraints of farmer‐accepted practices. We presented in follow‐up interviews a total of 176 conservation practice recommendations on 103 farm fields to 10 farmers whose lands were targeted for conservation. Primary findings indicated producers were interested in the project, were open to hearing recommendations about their lands, and expressed a high likelihood of adopting 35% of targeted recommendations. Farmers generally viewed the interview process and presentation of results quite favorably, and the interviews were found to build trust and make the targeting process more acceptable to them.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112239/1/jawr12336.pd

Construction of an Indiana Water Monitoring Inventory Using the Google Maps API

The Indiana Water Monitoring Inventory is a portal for locating water monitoring information conducted by a variety of government agencies and organizations in the state of Indiana. The goal of this project was to implement a web site through which potential users of monitoring information can find location and attributes of water monitoring sites. To accomplish this, the user interface was developed with Google Maps Application Programming Interface (API). Basic functionality of displaying geographic information, the database structure, loading data, interaction between PHP and Java Script and the user interface will be described in the presentation. The inventory can be accessed at https://engineering.purdue.edu/~inwate

Core Competencies for Successful Watershed Management Practitioners

We surveyed participants from three watershed leadership education programs to identify competencies critical to successful watershed management. Participants rated 26 competency areas identified from literature and watershed education curricula for extent of criticality and listed additional competencies needed for successful watershed management. On the basis of those ratings and listings, we propose that competency in the following areas is required: establishing and maintaining partnerships/collaborating, outreach and communication, project and organizational management, landowner interaction/interpersonal skills, facilitative leadership, and, possibly, developing and maintaining a vision for the future. Our findings have implications for designing professional development activities and developing position descriptions for hiring watershed leaders

Drinking-Water Herbicide Exposure in Indiana and Prevalence of Small-for-Gestational-Age and Preterm Delivery

Bac k g r o u n d: Atrazine and other corn herbicides are routinely detected in drinking water. Two studies on potential association of atrazine with small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and preterm birth prevalence found inconsistent results. Moreover, these studies did not control for individual-level potential confounders. Objectives: Our retrospective cohort study evaluated whether atrazine in drinking water is associated with increased prevalence of SGA and preterm birth. Me t h o d s: We developed atrazine concentration time series for 19 water systems in Indiana from 1993 to 2007 and selected all births (n = 24,154) based on geocoded mother’s residences. Logbinomial models were used to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) for SGA and preterm delivery in relation to atrazine concentrations during various periods of the pregnancy. Models controlled for maternal demographic characteristics, prenatal care and reproductive history, and behavioral risk factors (smoking, drinking, drug use). Re s u l t s: Atrazine in drinking water during the third trimester and the entire pregnancy was associated with a significant increase in the prevalence of SGA. Atrazine in drinking water> 0.1 µg/L during the third trimester resulted in a 17–19 % increase in the prevalence of SGA compared with the control group (< 0.1 µg/L). Mean atrazine concentrations over the entire pregnancy> 0.644 µg/L were associated with higher SGA prevalence than in the control group (adjusted PR = 1.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.24). No significant association was found for preterm delivery. Con c l u s i o n s: We found that atrazine, and perhaps other co-occurring herbicides in drinking water, is associated with an increased prevalence of SGA, but not preterm delivery. Key w o r d s: atrazine, birth weight, epidemiology, herbicides, preterm birth. Environ Health Perspect 117:1619–1624 (2009). doi:10.1289/ehp.0900784 available vi

Drainage Water Management for the Midwest

https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/abe_eng_extensionpubs/1000/thumbnail.jp

Water sufficiency for cacao production in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM) region, Colombia

Study region: Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM) region of Colombia. Study focus: This research was conducted as a case study to generate relevant, quantitative information to support cacao farmer decision-making processes concerning water management in the SNSM. It involved the development and evaluation of a spatial dataset of precipitation and temperature, integration of digital soil mapping with a modification of the Thornthwaite and Mather water balance model, and finally an assessment of water sufficiency for cacao production. We elaborated site-specific and spatially-distributed analyses to generate information that will be shared with technicians who assist cacao growers in the SNSM. New hydrological insights for the region: Under the climate conditions for the analysis period (1989–2018), rainfall was not enough to prevent cacao yield losses for 10 out of the 27 farms evaluated. The location of farms in two departments with contrasting climate conditions showed the importance of spatial analysis of water availability when providing recommendations of management practices to cacao growers. The results revealed that farms facing less frequent water stress are characterized by higher rainfalls and lower temperatures, soils that contain more organic matter, and are located at higher elevations with steeper slopes. Temporally, water stress is highest in the months February-August, with special interest in March-April as the dry season ends and July-August just before the peak rainy season