Number 68 November 1994 ISSN 1062-9149
Monitoring of both land treatment and water quality is necessary to document the effectiveness of nonpoint source pollution controls in restoring water quality. The Section 319 National Monitoring Program, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is designed to support watershed projects throughout the country that meet a minimum set of project planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation requirements. The requirements are designed to lead to successful documentation of project effectiveness with respect to water quality protection or improvement. The National Monitoring Program projects comprise a small subset of nonpoint source control projects funded under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987. The following article continues a series describing these projects.
The Warner Creek watershed is located in the Piedmont physiographic region of north central Maryland. Land use in the 830-acre watershed is almost exclusively agricultural, primarily beef and dairy production and associated activities.
Agricultural activities related to dairy production are believed to be the major nonpoint source of pollutants (sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus) to the small stream draining the watershed. This situation is particularly apparent in one of the headwater subwatersheds which will be compared to a control subwatershed that contains no dairy farms.
Proposed land treatment includes conversion of cropland to pasture, installation of watering systems, fencing to exclude livestock from tributary streams, and the proper use of newly constructed manure slurry storage tanks. The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Monocacy River Demonstration Watershed Project will help provide cost-share funds for implementing best management practices (BMPs) since the Warner Creek watershed lies within the Demonstration Project area.
Water quality monitoring involves both paired watershed and upstream/downstream experimental designs. Sampling will occur weekly (February through June) or biweekly (July through January) at the outlets of the paired subwatersheds (stations 1A and 1B) and at the upstream/downstream stations on Warner Creek (1C and 2A) (see project map). Storm-event sampling by an automatic sampler will occur at station 2A.
Monitoring data will be used to evaluate the suitability of a modified
version of the CREAMS and/or ANSWERS
Paired Watershed (1A and 1B):
Water quality monitoring stations for the Warenr Creek Watershed 319 project.
The water quality monitoring component incorporates the following
designs: 1) upstream/downstream on Warner Creek and 2) paired
subwatersheds in the uppermost areas of the watershed.
Variables to be measured include ammonia, total Kjeldahl nitrogen,
nitrate, nitrite, ortho-phosphorus, total Kjeldahl phosphorus, and
sediment. Explanatory variables are rainfall and discharge.
The sampling scheme involves grab sampling at all stations, weekly
from February through June and biweekly the remainder of the
year. Automated storm event sampling will also be conducted at station
2A.
Monitoring data are stored and analyzed at the University of
Maryland. Data will also be entered into the STORET data base and
reported using the Nonpoint Source Management System (NPSMS) software.
The project will draw support from the Cooperative Extension Service
(CES) agents and specialists involved in the Monocacy River
Demonstration Watershed Project. Several staff members have already
established lines of communication between watershed farmers and the
local personnel of the relevant USDA agencies. Education and public
awareness will be accomplished through the CES via tours, press
releases, scientific articles, and public presentations.
Adel Shirmohammadi and William Magette
Shirmohammadi, A. and W.L. Magette. 1994. Work plan for project
entitled Monitoring and Modeling Water Quality Response of the Mixed
Land Use Basin.
Shirmohammadi, A. and W.L. Magette. 1994. FY91 Annual Report for
project entitled Monitoring and Modeling Water Quality Response of the
Mixed Land Use Basin.
Shirmohammadi, A. and W.L. Magette. 1993. Background Data and
Revision to the Monitoring Design for the project entitled Modeling
the Hydrologic and Water Quality Response of the Mixed Land Use
Basin.
Many thanks to our cooperators, John McCoy, Maryland Department of the
Environment; Terry Welsh of the SCS District Office in Frederick, MD;
and Patricia Burdette, Cooperative Extension Service through the
Monocacy Project Office, for their cooperation and support of this
project. Susan Claus, Coordinator of NPS-319 Projects for Maryland,
deserves special thanks for her role in administering the project's
deliverables. Our technicians, Robert Dixon and Ellen DeRico, are due
special thanks for their technical support. The work of graduate
students Kevin Coyne and Mary Searing is very much
appreciated. Special thanks to Judith Gale, NCSU Water Quality Group,
for her excellent editorial role in preparing this Project
Spotlight. Finally, we thank USEPA staff (both National and Region
III) for their support of this project. Our heartfelt thanks go to all
of the farmers within the watershed, especially to Mr. Warner and his
family and Mr. Savage and his family, for their patience and
cooperation during the course of this project.
The 1993 annual review of nonpoint source literature prepared by the
NCSU Water Quality Group was published in the June issue of Water
Environment Research. The review includes over 300 references and
covers nonpoint source policy, water quality management and economics,
water quality of water resources, best management practices for
nonpoint source pollution control, and nonpoint source modeling and
monitoring.
Copies (free) of the literature review may be ordered
by contacting the Publications Coordinator, NCSU Water Quality Group, by email at wq_puborder@ncsu.edu or by mail at 615 Oberlin Rd., Suite
100, Raleigh, NC 27605-1126. (Please refer to WQ-87 when ordering.)
The University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service has published
a user-friendly guide providing detailed, research-based information
for Midwestern farmers on voluntary management practices to maintain
or improve water quality on farms. Practices include integrated pest
management, changes in pesticide and fertilizer selection,
technological advances that improve chemical application, safer
chemical disposal and storage, and well protection. The guide contains
more than 60 photographs, drawings, and charts as well as farmer
profiles.
Copies may be ordered from Office of Agricultural
Communications, University of Illinois, 69 Mumford Hall, 1301 West
Gregory Dr., Urbana, IL 61801. The cost is $5 per copy ($4.50 per
copy for orders of 10 or more). Checks should be payable to the
University of Illinois.
A seven-page fact sheet summarizing the report was published by USEPA
in April and included in the May/June 1994 issue (#36) of Nonpoint
Source News-Notes (to obtain a copy, contact NPS News-Notes, c/o
Terrene Institute, 1717 K Street, NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC
20006).
Copies of the National Water Quality Inventory: 1992 Report to
Congress (EPA 841-R-94-001), or a companion summary document entitled
Quality of Our Nation's Waters: 1992 (EPA 841-S-94-002), may be
ordered (free) from NCEPI, 10029 Kenwood Road, Building 5, Cincinnati,
OH 45242, Fax: 513-891-6685.
The summer (1994) issue of the bulletin contained feature articles on
developments in sand filter technology to improve stormwater runoff
quality, influence of snowmelt dynamics on stormwater quality, and
pollutant dynamics of pond muck. Technical notes address urban best
management practices, wetland creation and restoration, and watershed
research.
Subscription rates are $34 - individuals; $18 - students; and $54 -
organizations. (Foreign subscribers add $16 for ground mail or $22 for
air mail.) Correspondence regarding subscriptions should be sent to:
Watershed Protection Techniques, 8630 Fenton Street, Suite 910, Silver
Spring, MD 20910, Tel: 301-589-1890.
The editors welcome submissions of technical notes on the performance
of urban watershed restoration/ protection tools.
This report defines the capabilities and limitations of the current
generation of urban best management practices (BMPs) in order to
provide effective stormwater quality management within the coastal
zone. The publication, the production of which was supported by a
grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is intended to
provide guidance in urban BMP selection for coastal communities that
need to comply with Section 6217(g) of the 1990 Coastal Zone
Management Reauthorization Act.
BMPs assessed in the report include extended detention ponds, wet
ponds, stormwater wetlands, multiple pond systems, infiltration
trenches, infiltration basins, porous pavement, sand filters, grassed
swales, filter strips, and water quality inlets/oil grit
separators.
Several major conclusions are made by the authors regarding structural BMPs:
The proceedings of the Watershed '93 Conference have been published by
U.S. EPA. Papers presented under the following session topics are
included in the publication: Historical Perspectives; Legislative
Issues; Catalysts for Watershed Management; New Federal Directions;
Financing Watershed Management; Identifying Priority Areas; Landscape
Ecology; Forming Partnerships; Planning Approaches; Establishing
Goals; Economic Modeling and Valuation; Watershed-Scale Total Maximum
Daily Loads; Information Management and Geographical Information
Systems; Social and Cultural Issues; Building Public Support; State
Strategies; Monitoring and Evaluation; Urban Watersheds; Ground Water
and Drinking Water; Addressing Multiple Issues; Identifying Problems
and Implementing Solutions; Market-Based Approaches; Rural Watersheds;
Regional-Scale Assessment and Modeling; Coastal Watersheds; Habitat
Assessment, Protection, and Restoration; and Resource Fair.
Copies of the proceedings may be ordered (free) from: NCEPI, 11029
Kenwood Rd., Bldg 5, Cincinnati, OH 45242, Tel: 513-569-7980, Fax:
513-891-6685. Please refer to EPA 840-R-94-002 when placing your
order.
Copies of the manual may be obtained (free) by contacting: Gordon
Stuart, Cooperative Forestry Unit, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box
96090, Washington, DC 20090-6090. Project Time Frame
May 1993 - June 1997 Pre-Project Water Quality
Seven weeks of pre-project water quality monitoring at four stations
yielded the following data: NO3 NO2 NH3 TKN TKP OP
(mg/l) (mg/l) (mg/l) (mg/l) (mg/l) (mg/l)
3.3-6.7 .01-.05 0-23.0 0-73.0 0-6.7 0-3.6
Key:
NO3 - nitrate
NO2 - nitrite
TKN - total Kjeldahl nitrogen
OP- ortho-phosphorus
TKP - total Kjeldahl phosphorus
NH3 - ammonia
Project Water Quality Objectives
The water quality objectives of the project are to:
Nonpoint Source Control Strategy
Upstream/downstream Study Area (1C and 2A):
Land use in the upper part (upstream of 1C) of the watershed is mostly
pasture and cropland, with a few beef and dairy operators. Downstream
of station 1C, land use is also mostly pasture and cropland,
supporting dairy and beef production. BMPs planned for this area
include construction of watering systems for animals, fencing animals
from streams, and the proper use of newly constructed manure slurry
storage tanks. Conversion of cropland to pasture is also anticipated
in this area.
Land use in the subwatershed draining to station 1A is primarily
pasture and forest. No nonpoint source pollution controls are planned
for this drainage area. The subwatershed upstream of station 1B
contains a dairy operation (200 cows), and a recent survey indicated
that about sixty-five percent of the land was used for corn silage
production. The implementation of BMPs in the treatment (1B) paired
subwatershed is uncertain; however, a concerted effort will be made to
install an animal waste management system and cropland conservation
practices in this watershed. The Soil Conservation Service District
Office in Frederick, Maryland, and the University of Maryland
Cooperative Extension Service, through the Monocacy BMP Demonstration
Project Office, are working with the farmer in developing and
implementing these BMPs.
Water Quality Monitoring Design
Water Quality Data Management and Analysis
Information, Education, and Publicity
For Further Information Contact
The University of Maryland
Agricultural Engineering
1419 ENAG/ANSC Building (#142)
College Park, MD 20742-5711
Tel: 301-405-1185
Fax 301-314-9023
Internet (Shirmohammadi): AS31@UMAIL.UMD.EDU
Internet (Magette): WM3@UMAIL.UMD.EDU References
Acknowledgments
INFORMATION
1993 Nonpoint Source Literature Review
National Nutrient Management Conference Proceedings
50 Ways Farmers Can Protect Their Ground Water
National Water Quality Inventory: 1992 Report to
Congress
Watershed Protection Techniques: A Quarterly Bulletin
on
Urban Watershed Restoration and Protection ToolsA Current Assessment of Urban Best Management Practices:
Techniques for Reducing Non-Point Source Pollution in the Coastal
Zone
Copies of the report may be ordered from the Information Center,
Metropolitan Council of Governments, 777 North Capitol St., N.E.,
Suite 300, Washington, DC 20002-4226, Tel: 202-962-3256. The cost for
the report is $30 (mailed book rate) (add $4 per item for first class
postage). (For all Canadian orders, add $5 per item.)Watershed '93 Conference Proceedings
Forestry BMP Effectiveness Evaluation Workshops Held