ARS | Publication request: FIELD SCALE WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN THE US: STATE OF THE ART 2005 1814

Submitted to: American Water Resources Association Summer Specialty Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: May 31, 2005
Publication Date: June 27, 2005
Citation: Heilman, P., Ma, L., Malone, R.W. 2005. Field scale water quality management in the us: state of the art 2005. American Water Resources Association Summer Specialty Conference, Institutions for Sustainable Watershed Management: Reconciling Physical and Management Ecology in the Asia-Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii, June 29, 2005.

Technical Abstract: There is a very wide range in both the quality and quantity of information available at the field scale for agricultural decision-making related to water quality across the United States. The focus of conservation work in the past has been on controlling soil erosion, although water quality has been recognized as a growing issue nationally. Agriculture is expected to play a role in improving water quality in the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific Northwest and many points in between. Although recent years have seen significant progress, the integration and application of information from research plots to the larger areas they represent, the routine application of simulation models, the application of a systematic approach across numerous water quality contaminants, and the integration of field and watershed scale water quality planning and policy are all works in progress. Conservation tillage, field buffers, nutrient and pesticide management systems and precision agriculture are being implemented to improve water quality. The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides technical assistance and funding through conservation programs to encourage implementation of improved management by individual producers.