Location: Water Quality and Ecology Research
Project Number: 6060-13660-009-006-N
Project Type: Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Dec 1, 2017
End Date: Nov 30, 2022
Objective:
The objective of the proposed research is to determine how on-farm reservoir and ditch tailwater recovery systems will improve runoff water quality and contribute to water savings.
Approach:
A tailwater recovery system on the Mason Farm in Sunflower County, Mississippi, will be evaluated for its impact on water quantity and downstream water quality. Research on this system will require integrated assessments of water quality, surface water conservation management, soil and sediment characteristics, basic hydrology, and ecological effects (sediment and water toxicity and phycocyanins). Specific research results will include:
1. A detailed record of water levels, hydrologic flows, sediment chemistry, and water quality parameters at multiple locations in the ditch network and the reservoir in order to construct a system-wide water budget to estimate water savings and to calculate changes in loads of nutrients and pesticides in and out of the tailwater system.
2. Insights to improve quantitative models of tailwater systems and identification of system design components to enhance water savings and/or water quality outcomes.
