Agricultural Water Management

About Us

The Soil and Water Management Research Group conducts academic, research and extension programs in agricultural water management. The primary focus is on poorly drained, high water table soils with specific application to the Coastal Plains of North Carolina.The Group is made up of faculty, staff and graduate students from the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and the Department of Soil Science, with cooperators from Forestry, Toxicology and other departments at NCSU.

We conduct field and laboratory research studies and develop computer simulation models to describe the hydrologic and environmental impacts of land uses and management practices.

Mission

To develop methods to manage poorly drained soils for the production of food and fiber while maintaining environmental quality.

Goals

• Development of methods for managing water, fertilizers and pesticides to minimize losses of pollutants to the environment while maintaining or enhancing agricultural productivity.
• Development of simulation models for describing effects of alternative design and management decisions on water quality and crop yields.
• Develop methods for describing the hydrology and water quality of drained forested wetlands, and for restoring these functions to degraded wetlands.
• Conduct experimental studies and develop models to describe in-stream processes controlling the transport and fate of pollutants, and to link them with field scale models so that cumulative impacts of land uses and management practices can be addressed on a watershed scale.