N.C. STATE UNIVERSITY

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
N.C. Agricultural Research Service
N.C. Cooperative Extension Service

Understanding the Role of Agricultural Landscape Features, Function and Position in Achieving Environmental Endpoints

Prepared by: Frank J. Humenik

Long-Term Objectives
1. Evaluate the role and function of a constructed in-stream wetland, a natural dparian area, a rehabilitated wooded riparian zone and a fann pond for protecting or enhancing surface and ground water quality.
2. Develop a methodology for selecting optimum landscape features and their placement within a watershed to achieve selected location specific and total watershed environmental endpoints. The product will be a decision-support system that integrates data from a Geographic Information System (GIS), a spatially distributed water quality model and databases of information from experimental nonpoint source pollution control programs and other sources.

Short-Term Objectives
1. Establish surface and ground water monitoring to evaluate water quality changes associated with the landscape features being evaluated.
2. Conduct literature review to serve as an information base for the decision-support system being developed.
3. Develop a spatially distributed water quality model to support the decision-support system.

Accomplishments
1. Surface and ground water quality changes associated with the project landscape features has been evaluated.
2. A decision-support system (Watersheds) is under construction and has been placed on the Worldwide Web.

Significance of Accomplishments
The role and function of landscape features to protect and enhance surface and ground water quality has been monitored to provide information for recommendadon and implementation of these features as BMPs.Watersheds, the decision-support system being developed, has already provided information to help detennine actual causes of water quality degradation and provide information on techniques and BMPs to protect and enhance water quality on a site specific and total watershed basis.

Future Plans
1. Obtain long-term surface and ground water monitoring data for landscape features that can protect and enhance surface and ground water quality.
2. Continue development of Watersheds, the decision-support system that is integrating data from a Geographic Information System, monitoring of landscape features in this project and all available research and literature data.