Reducing the Impacts of Agriculture on Water Quality

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Reducing the Impacts of Agriculture on Water
Quality
George Czapar University of Illinois Extension

• International Conference on Water Policy
• June 24, 2009

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Stream Water Quality Conditions, 1972Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency
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Stream Water Quality Conditions, 2008Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency
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Watersheds Impaired by Nutrient Enrichment
Robertson et al., 2009
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Approaches for Protecting Water Quality

• Research/Education
• Voluntary
• Incentive-based
• Regulatory

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Illinois Corn Growers Association Illinois Farm
Bureau Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical
Association Illinois Pork Producers
Association Illinois Soybean Association Syngenta
Crop Protection University of Illinois Extension
Assist and encourage the adoption of best
management practices (BMPs) to protect and
improve water quality in Illinois.
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• Educational Program on Proper Timing of Fall
  Applied Nitrogen in Priority Watersheds

If anhydrous ammonia is applied too early, it is
rapidly converted to nitrate and is subject to
loss University recommendations Delay
application until soil temperatures are below 50
F
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Printed soil temperatures on front page
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Educational Program on Proper Timing of Fall
Applied Nitrogen in Priority Watersheds

• Follow up survey in March 2002.
• Did you use the soil thermometer?

Czapar et al., 2007
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Incentive-Based Approach
Lake Bloomington Watershed
Develop nutrient management plans to reduce
nitrate loss
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Lake Bloomington Watershed
43,100 Acres
92 agricultural production
Extensive tile drainage
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Lake Bloomington Watershed Project

• Four-year nutrient management plan written by a
  technical service provider (TSP)
• All guidelines follow University of Illinois
  Agronomy Handbook
• Funding provided by Sand County Foundation
• Incentive payments
• 6.00/acre Nitrification inhibitor
• 8.00/acre Spring application
• 2.00/acre Technical service provider

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Lake Bloomington Watershed Project Year 1
Results

• Applications Approved 98
• Total Acres Enrolled 12,331
• Practice Enrollment (Acres)
• Fall Application 8,445
• Spring Application 3,887
• 8.00/acre was not enough to encourage
  significant shift to spring application.

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Lake Bloomington Watershed Project Year 2 Changes

• Increase Incentive payments
• 8.00/acre nitrification inhibitor payment
  (increased from 6.00)
• 12.00/acre spring application payment
  (increased from 8.00)
• 12.00/acre payment for split application

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Lake Bloomington Watershed Project Year 2
Results

• Applications Approved 88
• Total Acres Enrolled 15,148.35 (68 of acres)
• Practice Enrollment (Acres)
• Fall Application 4,944
• Split Application 3,199
• Spring Application 7,005

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Lake Bloomington Watershed Project

• Is this the right approach?
• After the incentive payments end, will the
  practices continue?
• Decreased phosphorus application rates by 14
  lbs/A and nitrogen rates by 0.9 lbs/A
• Significant nutrient reductions will be very
  expensive. Project costs exceed 500,000

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Water Quality Regulations

• Hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico
• Development of Nutrient Standards

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USPEA SAB Hypoxia Advisory Panel Recommendations

• A 45 reduction in both N and P loads to the Gulf
  is needed.

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• Individual States
• Adopt EPA Recommendations
• Develop their own Standards

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Research Question How to develop nutrient
standards that are protective of water quality,
but are also realistic and achievable? Focus on
phosphorus
http//www.ilcfar.org
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Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural
Research Strategic Research Initiative
(SRI)Water Quality
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Water Quality SRI

• State-wide sampling at 140 locations to quantify
  regional patterns
• Impact of sediment on phosphorus dynamics in
  streams
• Laboratory studies - Indoor streams
• Compare procedures for collecting and analyzing
  water and algae samples

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High flow 138 sites Low flow 108 sites

• Turbidity, temperature, pH, conductivity and
  dissolved oxygen.
• All N and P forms in water
• Sestonic algae for chl-a
• Rocks collected and scraped, (chl-a measured)
• Composite sediment samples

Source Mark David
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Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Treatments SRP 0.005-0.3 mg/l SRP Light
heavy shade to saturating
Source Walter Hill
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Water Quality SRI Results

• Complex relationships at each step
• Nutrients are seldom the limiting factors
  affecting algal biomass
• Light, substrate, physical habitat (including
  sediment) have major effects on biotic integrity

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www.ilcfar.org/research/waterqualityforum.html
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Summary

• In most cases, a combination of approaches will
  be needed to achieve water quality goals.
• Addressing water quality problems at the
  watershed level is more likely to be successful
  than large scale programs.
• Suggested best management practices will vary
  depending on soils, topography and individual
  farm operation.

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