
It’s the elephant in the room that we often avoid talking about: the effect of agricultural practices on the water quality of our lakes, rivers, and estuaries. There has long been a discrepancy in how stormwater discharges are regulated. NPDES and other regulations place strict requirements on urban areas and construction sites, while runoff from ag lands is regulated to a lesser extent or not at all. Yet the damage from agricultural runoff—in particular, excess nutrients that lead to hypoxia and dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere—is considerable. Permits are required for a few agricultural practices, such as concentrated animal feeding operations, but by and large agriculture has long been granted an exemption from the regulations that cover the rest of us, including in the new (and controversial) Clean Water Rule.
It’s the elephant in the room that we often avoid talking about: the effect of agricultural practices on the water quality of our lakes, rivers, and estuaries. There has long been a discrepancy in how stormwater discharges are regulated. NPDES and other regulations place strict requirements on urban areas and construction sites, while runoff from ag lands is regulated to a lesser extent or not at all. Yet the damage from agricultural runoff—in particular, excess nutrients that lead to hypoxia and dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere—is considerable. Permits are required for a few agricultural practices, such as concentrated animal feeding operations, but by and large agriculture has long been granted an exemption from the regulations that cover the rest of us, including in the new (and controversial) Clean Water Rule. [text_ad] A number of voluntary programs are in place, many of them federally funded, to help farmers manage nutrients and engage in other conservation programs. At the recent American Water Resources Association’s Annual Conference on Water Resources, another effort was announced that might actually have a significant effect: an Agricultural Best Management Practices Database that provides information on effective (and cost-effective) practices to reduce pollution. This first release focuses especially on nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment. Adoption of the methods highlighted in the database is still voluntary, but having their effectiveness now quantified in some way might help overcome the reluctance of many ag practitioners to spend money and effort to put them in place. The database is a centralized repository of BMP performance studies specifically related to agricultural areas (in this first release, the focus is on row crops like corn and soybeans), including field data and comparisons of different techniques. The site also provides monitoring and reporting protocols for BMP performance data. Data include the effects of various practices not only on water quality but also on crop yield, which will be at least as important to many farmers. The data include variables that affect BMP performance, such as geographic region, soil type and field topography, tillage practices, nutrient management practices, and edge-of field practices like buffers and constructed wetlands. Sponsors for the database project include the National Corn Growers Association, the United Soybean Board, and the Water Environment Research Foundation. Work on the database was performed by Wright Water Engineers and Geosyntec Consultants, both of which have been involved with the International Stormwater BMP Database as well. The agricultural database is available online at www.bmpdatabase.org/agBMP.html. Have you used the database or participated in any of the studies included in it? Do you think having comprehensive information available in a single place will encourage more widespread adoption of conservation practices? StormCon Call for Papers: One Week Left StormCon, the only North American event dedicated exclusively to stormwater and surface-water professionals, is seeking abstracts for presentation at StormCon 2016. The deadline for submitting abstracts is Wednesday, December 9. The conference will be held in Indianapolis, IN, August 22–25, 2016. We are looking for abstracts in the following conference tracks:- BMP Case Studies
- Green Infrastructure
- Stormwater Program Management
- Advanced Research Topics
- Water-Quality Monitoring
- Industrial Stormwater Management
- Stormwater Management for Solid Waste Facilities
A number of voluntary programs are in place, many of them federally funded, to help farmers manage nutrients and engage in other conservation programs. At the recent American Water Resources Association’s Annual Conference on Water Resources, another effort was announced that might actually have a significant effect: an Agricultural Best Management Practices Database that provides information on effective (and cost-effective) practices to reduce pollution. This first release focuses especially on nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment.
Adoption of the methods highlighted in the database is still voluntary, but having their effectiveness now quantified in some way might help overcome the reluctance of many ag practitioners to spend money and effort to put them in place. The database is a centralized repository of BMP performance studies specifically related to agricultural areas (in this first release, the focus is on row crops like corn and soybeans), including field data and comparisons of different techniques. The site also provides monitoring and reporting protocols for BMP performance data. Data include the effects of various practices not only on water quality but also on crop yield, which will be at least as important to many farmers. The data include variables that affect BMP performance, such as geographic region, soil type and field topography, tillage practices, nutrient management practices, and edge-of field practices like buffers and constructed wetlands.
Sponsors for the database project include the National Corn Growers Association, the United Soybean Board, and the Water Environment Research Foundation. Work on the database was performed by Wright Water Engineers and Geosyntec Consultants, both of which have been involved with the International Stormwater BMP Database as well. The agricultural database is available online at www.bmpdatabase.org/agBMP.html.
Have you used the database or participated in any of the studies included in it? Do you think having comprehensive information available in a single place will encourage more widespread adoption of conservation practices?
StormCon Call for Papers: One Week Left
StormCon, the only North American event dedicated exclusively to stormwater and surface-water professionals, is seeking abstracts for presentation at StormCon 2016. The deadline for submitting abstracts is Wednesday, December 9.
The conference will be held in Indianapolis, IN, August 22–25, 2016. We are looking for abstracts in the following conference tracks:
- BMP Case Studies
- Green Infrastructure
- Stormwater Program Management
- Advanced Research Topics
- Water-Quality Monitoring
- Industrial Stormwater Management
- Stormwater Management for Solid Waste Facilities
Janice Kaspersen
Janice Kaspersen is the former editor of Erosion Control and Stormwater magazines.