Goodwater Creek, Missouri

An ARS Benchmark Research Watershed

 

Characteristics

Goodwater Creek Experimental Watershed (GCEW) is in the SW headwaters of the Salt River Basin in northeastern Missouri, which is the source of water to the Mark Twain Lake, a 75 km2 Army Corp of Engineers reservoir that is the major public water supplier in the region. The Salt River system encompasses an area of 6450 km2 within portions of 12 northeastern Missouri counties, including the 72 km2GCEW. Soils within GCEW were formed in Wisconsin and Illinoian loess overlying pre-Illinoian glacial till. Illuviation of the high clay content loess resulted in the formation of argillic horizons containing 40-60% smectitic clays. Topography within the watershed is flat to gently rolling, with most areas having 0-3% slopes. The Adco-Putnam-Mexico soil association predominates in the flatter upland areas, and these soils tend to be less eroded and have greater depths to the claypan than the terrace areas. The Mexico-Leonard soil associations occur in more sloping terrace and alluvial areas where the depth to claypan is often <15 cm on side slopes because of erosion. The claypan is not present in alluvial areas immediately adjacent to streams. The naturally formed claypan represents the key hydrologic feature of GCEW, and it is the direct cause of the high runoff potential of these soils. Most soils within GCEW are classified as Hydrologic Group C or D by NRCS. Land use is predominately agricultural. The primary row crops are soybeans, corn, and sorghum. Forage production is mainly tall fescue. Livestock production is mainly beef cattle. Average annual precipitation is about 1000 mm per year, and stream flow (based on GCEW data) accounts for about 30% of precipitation. Runoff accounts for about 85% of total stream flow. Despite high runoff potential and poorly drained soils, sub-surface drainage is not employed because of the difficulties of installation in or below the claypan.

 

Environmental Impacts

The primary water quality concern is runoff contaminated with sediments, nutrients (P, NO3-, NH4+), pesticides, and water-borne pathogens.

 

The naturally formed claypan soils that predominate within the basin create a barrier to percolation and promote surface runoff. This results in a high degree of vulnerability to surface transport of sediment, herbicides, and nutrients. The GCEW has a known and well-documented history of herbicide and sediment contamination problems. Being a headwater watershed of the Salt River Basin, contaminant transport in GCEW reflects the environmental issues in Mark Twain Lake. Mark Twain Lake serves a public drinking water supply for approximately 42,000 people, and consistently high spring and summer time atrazine levels have been an on-going concern. More recently, late summer algal blooms have created the need for more extensive water treatment to reduce odor and taste problems in drinking water, and may be a reflection of increased nutrient transport within the basin.

 

Management Practices 

Studies are currently underway at field and plot scales to study the water quality impact of a broad range of cropping systems that incorporate various conservation practices. These studies include a precision agriculture system on an 88-acre field (Conservation practice #’s 590, 329A), plot-scale studies of the effectiveness of grass filters and grass hedges on contaminant mitigation from edge-of field runoff (393), alternative weed management systems focused on reducing herbicide inputs (595), measuring soil quality under different grain and bioenergy cropping systems, and the potential for enhanced herbicide degradation in contour grass buffer strips (332). In addition, hydrologic simulation models are being used to predict water quality at multiple scales, determine contaminant source areas within watersheds, and serve as decision support aids for BMP implementation.

 

Research Objectives

Prevailing and traditional agronomic practices for row crop production have degraded soil and water resources in the Midwestern claypan soils region. Soil and water quality are inextricably connected, and surface runoff is the key hydrologic process that physically links them. Individual research projects are integrated by the development, implementation, and assessment of cropping systems and Best Management Practices (BMPs) to improve soil and water quality. An additional level of impact stems from the development of watershed models as tools for BMP assessment and watershed planning.  Specific objectives are to: 1) develop systems incorporating biological assays and electronic sensor technology to better understand soil quality impacts of different management systems; 2) conduct field- and watershed-scale studies to assess the contribution of surface runoff, interflow, and groundwater recharge to contaminant transport in claypan watersheds; 3) develop criteria, evaluate performance, and determine impacts of alternative cropping systems and BMPs that reduce herbicide, nutrient, and sediment contamination, sustain productivity, and improve resilience to climate variability; 4) validate and improve watershed models to better assess the impact of field-scale management practices and watershed-scale management policies on surface water quality; and 5) Improve watershed management and ecosystem services through long-term observation, characterization, delivery, and application of information from agricultural watersheds and landscapes..

 

Approaches

The implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) to improve soil and water quality must be balanced with the need for socially acceptable practices that sustain profitable crop production. Our vision to meet this challenge entails an array of conservation, agronomic, and soil management practices. The proposed research encompasses three main approaches: (1) studies addressing the parameters and practices that control soil and water quality; (2) studies designed to test the effectiveness and economic impact of various BMPs and alternative cropping systems; (3) application of computer models to simulate the impact of BMPs on surface water quality at field and watershed scales. These broad objectives are divided into multiple individual projects tied together by a common goal: the effective implementation of BMPs to improve and sustain soil and water resources. Projects include studies ranging from assessment of soil and water quality to application of genetic-based techniques for detection of water-borne pathogens to development and testing of new agronomic and conservation management practices. Expected results include improved indexing of soil quality parameters, new and profitable BMPs for field crop production that protect or improve soil and water quality, and a validated model for improved surface water quality assessment and planning. Specific benefits include: 1) productive agricultural systems that are proven to provide soil and water quality benefits; 2) cost-effective implementation of vegetative buffer strips to reduce contaminant transport in surface runoff; 3) increased confidence in models to simulate vegetative buffer strips; 4) increased confidence in simulation tools for assessing impacts of climate change; and 5) ability to better target and manage conservation programs. Our long-term water quality monitoring will allow for an objective determination of the changes in water quality and provide feedback on the need for greater adoption of practices within sub-watersheds of Long Branch Creek. In addition, the long-term hydrologic and weather data collected over the last 40 years within Goodwater Creek Experimental Watershed will aid our understanding of how climate change is impacting precipitation patterns, stream discharge, and ultimately watershed-scale runoff response and associated contaminant transport.

 

Measurements In Place and Planned    Water quality is monitored at the GCEW outlet, at a 35-ha farm field, and on 18 0.34-ha plots within GCEW. The field and watershed monitoring stations are equipped with v-notch weirs, flowmeters, and automatic samplers; the plots have Parshall flumes with similar flowmeters, and automatic samplers. At the plot and field scale, samples are collected for all runoff events. Shallow groundwater is also collected at five locations within the field each year and analyzed for dissolved nitrate levels. At the watershed scale, grab samples are collected weekly, and all runoff events are sampled by the automatic sampler. At all surface-monitoring sites, contaminant monitoring includes commonly used corn and soybean herbicides, dissolved and total N and P, and sediment.

 

Collaborators and Cooperating agencies and groups

There are numerous agencies and groups currently involved in some type of CEAP-related activities within the Mark Twain/Salt River Basin as a whole.

Federal partners: NRCS, USGS, and EPA.

State partners: MO Departments of Natural Resources, Conservation, and Agriculture; University of Missouri Water Quality Extension (including the MO Watershed Information Network).

Local/regional partners: CCWWC, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Mark Twain Water Quality Initiative.

Non-profit advocacy partners: MO Corn Growers Association, Environmental Resources Coalition.

 

Selected recent publications

  1. Saia, S. M., E. S. Brooks, Z. M. Easton, C. Baffaut, J. Boll, and T. S. Steenhuis Incorporating Pesticide Transport into the WEPP Model for Mulch Tillage and No Tillage Plots with an Underlying Claypan Soil, Applied Engineering in Agriculture, (in press). 2013.
  2. Mudgal, A., C. Baffaut, S.H. Anderson, E.J. Sadler, N.R. Kitchen, K.A. Sudduth, and R.N. Lerch 2012. Using APEX to develop and validate physically-based indices for the delineation of critical management areas. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. 67:284-299.
  3. Sadler, E.J., K.A. Sudduth, R.N. Lerch, C. Baffaut, and N. R. Kitchen 2012. A simple index explains annual atrazine transport from surface runoff-prone watersheds in the North-central USA. J. Hydrological Processes DOI: 10.1002/hyp.9544 (published online 11/5/2012).
  4. Chaudhary, V.P., K.A. Sudduth, N.R. Kitchen, and R.J. Kremer. 2012. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy detection of management and landscape differences in soil organic carbon and total nitrogen. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 76(2):597-606.
  5. Veum, K.S, K.W. Goyne, R.J. Kremer, and P.P. Motavalli. 2012. Water-stable aggregates and soil organic matter fractions under agricultural and conservation management practices. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 76(6):2143-2153.
  6. Kremer, R.J. and R.D. Kussman. 2011. Soil quality in a pecan - kura clover alley cropping system in the Midwestern USA. Agroforest. Syst. 83(2):213-223.
  7. Lerch, R.N., E.J. Sadler, K.A. Sudduth, C. Baffaut, and N.R. Kitchen. Herbicide transport in Goodwater Creek Experimental Watershed I. long-term research on atrazine. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 47(2):209-223. 2011.
  8. Lerch, R.N., E.J. Sadler, C. Baffaut, N.R. Kitchen, and K.A. Sudduth. 2011. Herbicide transport trends in Goodwater Creek Experimental Watershed II. acetochlor, alachlor, metolachlor, and metribuzin. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 47(2):224-238.
  9. Myers, D.B., N.R. Kitchen, K.A. Sudduth, R.J. Miles, E.J. Sadler, and S. Grunwald. 2011. Peak functions for modeling high resolution soil profile data. Geoderma. 166(1):74-83.
  10. Mudgal, A., C. Baffaut, S.H. Anderson, E.J. Sadler, and A.L. Thompson. 2010. APEX model assessment of variable landscapes on runoff and dissolved herbicides. Transactions of the ASABE. 53(4):1047-1058.
  11. Mudgal, A., S.H. Anderson, C. Baffaut, N.R. Kitchen, E.J. Sadler. 2010. Effects of long-term soil and crop management on soil hydraulic properties for claypan soils. J Soil and Water Conservation Society. 65(6):393-403.
  12. Ghidey F., C. Baffaut, R.L. Lerch, N.R. Kitchen, E.J. Sadler, and K.A. Sudduth. 2010. Herbicide transport to surface runoff from a claypan soil: scaling from plots to fields. J. Soil and Water Conservation. 65(3):168-179.
  13. Jang, G., Sudduth, K. A., Sadler, E. J., and Lerch, R. N. Watershed-scale crop type classification using seasonal trends in remote sensing-derived vegetation indices. Transactions of the ASABE. 52(2):1535-1544. 2009.
  14. Udawatta, R.P., R.J. Kremer, H.E. Garrett, and S.H. Anderson. 2009. Agroforestry buffer effects on soil physical properties and enzyme activity on a row-cropped watershed. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 131:98-104.
  15. Lerch R.N., E.J. Sadler, N.R. Kitchen, K.A. Sudduth, R.J. Kremer, D.B. Myers, C. Baffaut, S.H. Anderson, and C.-H. Lin. 2008. Overview of the Mark Twain Lake/Salt River Basin Conservation Effects Assessment Project. J Soil and Water Conservation 63(6):345-359.
  16. Sadler E.J., J.L. Steiner, J.-S. Chen, G. Wilson, J. Ross, T. Oster, D. James, B. Vandenberg, K. Cole, and J. Hatfield. 2008. Sustaining the Earth's Watersheds-Agricultural Research Data System: Data development, user interaction, and operations management. J Soil and Water Conservation 63(6):577-589.
  17. Steiner J.L., E.J. Sadler, J.-S. Chen, G. Wilson, D. James, B. Vandenberg, J. Ross, T. Oster, and K. Cole. 2008. Sustaining the Earth's Watersheds-Agricultural Research Data System: Overview of development and challenges. J Soil and Water Conservation 2008 63(6):569-576.
  18. Jung, W.K., N.R. Kitchen, K.A. Sudduth, and R.J. Kremer. 2008. Contrasting grain crop and grassland management effects on soil quality properties for a north-central Missouri claypan soil landscape. Soil Sci. Plant Nutr. 54:960-971.
  19. Kitchen, N.R., K.A. Sudduth, D.B. Myers, R.E. Massey, E.J. Sadler, R.N. Lerch, J.W. Hummel, and H.L. Palm. 2005. Development of a conservation-oriented precision agricultural system: Crop production assessment and plan implementation. J. of Soil & Water Cons. 60(6):421-430.
  20. Lerch, R.N., N.R. Kitchen, R.J. Kremer, W.W. Donald, E.E. Alberts, E.J. Sadler, K.A. Sudduth, D.B. Myers, and F. Ghidey. 2005. Development of a conservation-oriented precision agricultural system: Water and soil quality assessment. J. of Soil & Water Cons. 60(6):411-421.
  21. Ghidey, F., P.E. Blanchard, R.N. Lerch, N.R. Kitchen, E.E. Alberts, and E.J. Sadler.  2005. Measurement and simulation of herbicide transport from the corn phase of three cropping systems. J. of Soil & Water Cons. 60(5):260-273.
  22. Kremer, R.J. and J. Li. 2003. Developing weed suppressive soils through improved soil quality management. Soil Till. Res. 72:193-202.
  23. Lerch, R.N., and P. E. Blanchard. 2003. Watershed vulnerability to herbicide transport in northern Missouri and southern Iowa streams. Environ. Sci. Technol. 37:5518-5527.
  24. Kitchen, N.R., and K.W.T. Goulding. 2001. On-farm technologies and practices to improve nitrogen use efficiency p. 335-369. In R. Follett and J. Hatfield (ed.) Nitrogen in the environment: sources, problems, and management.. Elsevier Science. Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
  25. Blanchard, P.E. and R.N. Lerch. 2000. Watershed vulnerability to losses of agricultural chemicals: Interaction of chemistry, hydrology, and land-use. Environ. Sci. Technol. 34: 3315-3322.
  26. Kitchen, N.R., P.E. Blanchard, D.F. Hughes, and R.N. Lerch. 1997. Impact of historical and current farming systems on groundwater nitrate in northern Missouri. J. Soil Water Conserv. 52(4):272-277.