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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Southeast Watershed Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #429811
Research Project: Shifting the Balance of Water Resources and Interacting Agroecosystem Services Toward Sustainable Outcomes in Watersheds of the Southern Coastal Plain

Location: Southeast Watershed Research

Title: Streamflow and water chemistry in cattle-impacted watersheds of the southern Coastal Plain, USA

Author
item Pisani, Oliva
item Liebert, Daniel
item Keel, Earl
item Coffin, Alisa

Submitted to: Journal of Environmental Quality
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/13/2026
Publication Date: 8/17/2026
Citation: Pisani, O., Liebert, D.P., Keel, E.W., Coffin, A.W. 2026. Streamflow and water chemistry in cattle-impacted watersheds of the southern Coastal Plain, USA. Journal of Environmental Quality. 55:e70239. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.70239.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.70239

Interpretive Summary: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory (SEWRL) measured land cover, precipitation, streamflow, and water chemistry in four sub-watersheds of the Little River Experimental Watershed in southeast Georgia, USA from 2014 to 2020. Three of the studied sub-watersheds are nested and the smallest one is characterized by the presence of cattle. Water chemistry measurements include total suspended solids, dissolved organic carbon and total dissolved nitrogen concentrations, dissolved nutrient species including nitrate + nitrite-N, ammonia-N, orthophosphate-P, and chloride, total and dissolved macro- and micronutrients including aluminum, arsenic, boron, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, sodium, nickel, phosphorus, lead, sulfur, selenium, silicon, titanium, vanadium, and zinc, and dissolved organic matter (DOM) optical characteristics. Daily flow data was paired with bi-weekly water sample analyte concentrations to calculate monthly analyte loads. The dataset describing water chemical characteristics and monthly analyte loads is now publicly available. This paper describes the methods used to collect and analyze water samples and summarizes the data. This dataset will be useful to identify the impacts of land cover and land use on streamflow and water chemistry in small cattle-impacted watersheds.

Technical Abstract: As part of the long-term hydrologic monitoring of the Little River Experimental Watershed (LREW) conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory (SEWRL), land cover, precipitation, streamflow, and water chemistry data were collected from four sub-watersheds of the LREW in southeast Georgia, USA from 2014 to 2020. Three of the studied sub-watersheds are nested and the smallest one is characterized by the presence of cattle. Water chemistry measurements include total suspended solids, dissolved organic carbon and total dissolved nitrogen concentrations, dissolved nutrient species including nitrate + nitrite-N, ammonia-N, orthophosphate-P, and chloride, total and dissolved macro- and micronutrients including aluminum, arsenic, boron, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, sodium, nickel, phosphorus, lead, sulfur, selenium, silicon, titanium, vanadium, and zinc, and dissolved organic matter (DOM) optical characteristics. Daily flow data was paired with bi-weekly water sample analyte concentrations to calculate monthly analyte loads. This dataset will be useful to identify the impacts of land cover and land use on streamflow and water chemistry in small cattle-impacted watersheds.