Location: Soil and Water Management Research
Project Number: 5062-12130-008-039-A
Project Type: Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Apr 8, 2022
End Date: Feb 28, 2023
Objective:
The objectives of the ARS research in Faribault County at County Ditch 62 (CD62) and CD30 are:
1. Provide paired observations of water quality and quantity parameters over a number of years so that the effectiveness of conservation practices can be determined.
2. Optimize and monitor the performance of a large, three-bed bioreactor system at the outlet of CD62.
3. Provide data for modeling water quantity and quality outcomes of management, vegetative, and structural conservation practices.
Approach:
Flow monitoring and water quality sampling equipment is in place at the outlets to the two watersheds, CD62 and CD30, and at the outlets of the three bioreactor beds. Given that the site is 140 miles from the ARS location in St. Paul, MN, cooperator personnel will provide regular, weekly water collection and routine maintenance functions on the monitoring systems. Cooperator will store samples per ARS protocols. ARS will transport samples to St. Paul, MN, for analysis of nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon, and chlorine.
