Project Number: 3622-12130-005-03
Project Type: Reimbursable

Start Date: May 01, 2012
End Date: May 01, 2015

Objective:
Test and validate three targeting tools proposed by NRCS to identify and prioritize land most in need of conservation treatment. These three tools are the Soil Vulnerability Index (SVI), the Conservation CEAP Benefits Index (CCBI), and field office APEX. We will verify whether the information provided by the tools is consistent with our observations of land degradation in GCEW, edge-of-field monitoring, and our own APEX and SWAT modeling results.

Approach:
The project will first assess the correctness of the information that went into the derivation of the proposed indices and the parameterization of field office APEX given our knowledge of the area. We will then compare land classification using the proposed indices to that provided by our own indices on one hand and SWAT results at the hydrological response unit (HRU) level on the other hand. Finally, we will evaluate the parameterization of field office APEX for 3 fields and 30 1-acre plots that represent various tillage strategies for row crop systems in GCEW, and compare it with our own parameterization that resulted from full calibration/validation using measured flow and water quality data at one field. This comparison of parameterization may result in improvements in both the field office APEX and our own parameterizations.