Location: Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research
Project Number: 2054-13000-010-017-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jun 1, 2026
End Date: May 31, 2031
Objective:
The objectives are 1) to quantify the effectiveness of water quality ponds to remove excess sediment and nutrients from irrigation water and 2) to develop methods for estimating effectiveness and improving the design of water quality ponds in a surface-water irrigated watershed.
Approach:
Inflow and outflow concentrations of sediment and nutrients have been collected from a several water quality ponds in a southern Idaho irrigation project. These data will be compiled with tracer-injection studies to assess the performance of these water quality improvement practices. Functions will be developed to calculate the efficiency of water quality ponds at removing excess sediments and nutrients from agricultural water effluents (irrigation return flow) so the benefits of these practices can be estimated without extensive sample collection. Research results will also guide design of future water quality ponds to ensure that the practices are effective. This research will equip agricultural water managers with tools to guide the design of water quality improvement structures that will improve overall water quality.