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Research Project: Enhancing Long-Term Agroecosystem Sustainability of Water and Soil Resources Through Science and Technology

Location: Water Quality and Ecology Research

Title: Societal impact of reducing nutrient losses from agricultural fields in the Lower Mississippi River Basin: A case study of the Beasley Lake Watershed

Author
item Johnson Ii, Frank
item Lizotte Jr, Richard
item Witthaus, Lindsey
item WEBSTER, BENJAMIN - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE)
item Taylor, Jason
item Moore, Matthew
item Heintzman, Lucas
item Locke, Martin

Submitted to: Societal Impacts
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/24/2026
Publication Date: 3/25/2026
Citation: Johnson Ii, F.E., Lizotte Jr, R.E., Witthaus, L.M., Webster, B.C., Taylor, J.M., Moore, M.T., Heintzman, L.J., Locke, M.A. 2026. Societal impact of reducing nutrient losses from agricultural fields in the Lower Mississippi River Basin: A case study of the Beasley Lake Watershed. Societal Impacts. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socimp.2026.100189.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socimp.2026.100189

Interpretive Summary: There has been significant interest for farmers, ranchers, rural agricultural communities, and U.S. consumers to save money. Significant nutrient loss from agricultural systems is not cost efficient, and results in monetary damages to the environment. An accomplishment of this work is to inform the general public on how conservation practices can reduce nutrient losses into water bodies. This accomplishment addresses nutrient loss problems and illustrates how the agricultural sector can save money.

Technical Abstract: Nutrient loading associated with runoff is a problem with societal impacts in agricultural watersheds. Conservation practices on fields within agricultural watersheds significantly reduce nutrient losses to adjacent water bodies. We explore this concept using Beasley Lake, an oxbow lake with a small contributing watershed in the Lower Mississippi River Basin. Since 1996, three conservation practices have been implemented on agricultural lands surrounding Beasley Lake. The USDA ARS National Sedimentation Laboratory has been actively tracking changes in lake nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in response to these practices. Results suggest a decrease in nitrate and total P during the sampling period (1996 to 2025) and environmental damage cost (EDC). Watershed simulations support our observed results with decreases in EDC for vegetated buffer strip and conservation reserve program inclusion. These estimated reductions of nitrate and total P estimated a decreased in EDC of approximately 41,000 – 66,000 USD$ yr-1. This work impacts society by (i) displaying how best management practices for landscapes can mitigate nutrient loading into waterbodies from agriculture and (ii) increasing awareness of the gain of best management practices on damage cost associated with nutrient losses and the positive implications of reducing them.