Location: Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research
Project Number: 8070-13000-014-039-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2018
End Date: Aug 30, 2020
Objective:
To evaluate the Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework (ACPF) in three Pennsylvania watersheds. To adjust, where possible, ACPF so that hydrology and management outcomes are consistent with priorities in Pennsylvania. To develop a set of watershed management scenarios using ACPF that will be simulated in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT).
Approach:
Cooperator will work with Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to run ACPF in three Pennsylvania watersheds (Conewago Creek, Mahantango Creek, and Spring Creek). Verification data will be derived from current and historical monitoring and experimentation, principally in the Mahantango Creek watershed. ACPF will be evaluated for its representation of hydrologic flow paths, its identification of appropriate conservation practices (grassed waterways, contour buffer strips, riparian management practices), and its potential to inform other areas of watershed management decisions (e.g., nutrient management). ACPF will be refined based upon this evaluation and a set of watershed management strategies developed as scenarios for SWAT modeling. At a minimum, management scenarios will be developed for Mahantango Creek.
