SUSTAINABILITY OF LAND USE PRACTICES WITHIN A WATERSHED IN THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT OF THE U.S.

Authors: Fisher, Dwight; Steiner, Jean; Stuedemann, John

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/18/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In the Southern Piedmont, many watersheds contain mixtures of confined animal feeding operations, extensive pasture-based beef production, limited row-crop production, and increasing urban development. Land application of waste from confined animal operations is also often associated with grazinglands used for beef production. These land uses may all pose environmental hazards by concentration nutrients, exposing soil to erosion and creating a potential for runoff of fecal bacteria. The clustering and fragmentation of agricultural and urban practices within a watershed increase the likelihood of urban-agricultural conflicts centered on water quality issues. In this case study, data were used to identify land use practices impacting water quality in the Upper Oconee Watershed of Georgia. Identifying activities with limited sustainability can be used to locate areas of potentially high impact arising from agricultural and urban land use and then provide a rational basis for the design of amelioration strategies.