An evaluation of the Chesapeake Bay management strategy to improve water quality in small agricultural watersheds

JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

卷:299

Article

Fox, R. J.^1,2  Fisher, T. R.²  Gustafson, A. B.²  Koontz, E. L.^2,6  Lepori-Bui, M.^2,7  Kvalnes, K. L.²  Bunnell-Young, D. E.²  Gardner, J. R.^2,8  Lewis, J.³  Winsten, J. R.⁴  Fisher, K. A.^2,9  Silaphone, K.^2,5 

[1] Washington Coll, Dept Environm Sci & Studies, 300 Washington Ave, Chestertown, MD 21620 USA

[2] Univ Maryland, Ctr Environm Sci, Horn Point Lab, Cambridge, MD 21613 USA

[3] Univ Maryland Extens, Denton, MD 21629 USA

[4] Winrock Int Livestock Res & Training Ctr, Arlington, VA 22202 USA

[5] Salisbury Univ, Dept Geog & Geosci, Salisbury, MD 21801 USA

[6] Smithsonian Environm Res Ctr, POB 28, Edgewater, MD 21037 USA

[7] Univ Calif Santa Barbara, Dept Ecol Evolut & Marine Biol, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA

[8] Univ Pittsburgh, Dept Geol & Environm Sci, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 USA

[9] Hood Coll, Frederick, MD 21701 USA

关键词: Agriculture;    BMPs;    Impediments;    Water quality;    Choptank;    Chesapeake TMDL;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113478

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Chesapeake Bay water quality has been a concern since 1970. In rural areas, agriculture is the dominant N and P source, and the voluntary application of best management practices (BMPs) is the primary management tool. Here we test the hypothesis that the current management approach of primarily voluntary, untargeted BMP implementation is insufficient to create detectable, widespread reductions in N, P, and total suspended solid (TSS) concentrations in agricultural watersheds of the Choptank basin, a tributary of Chesapeake Bay. To test this hypothesis, we assessed BMP implementation and sampled water quality on participating farms, at intermediate streams within each watershed, and at watershed outlets of four watersheds from 2013 to 2014. We also present water quality data from 2003 to 2014 at the outlets of 12 additional agricultural and one forested watershed and survey-directed interviews of farmers. By the end of 2014, large numbers of BMPs, both structural and cultural, had been implemented. Of the 16 agricultural watersheds, 50% showed significant decreases in baseflow N, 37.5% showed no changes, and 12.5% showed increasing TN. Baseflow P significantly decreased at just one watershed, increased at one, and remained stable at 14. Stormflow N was similar to baseflow, but stormflow P was 5 times higher than baseflow. These data partially support our hypothesis. Surveys suggested farmers considered themselves responsible for the quality of water leaving their farms, but out-of-pocket cost was the major impediment to further BMP adoption. We suggest that greater outreach and more financial support for farmers to implement BMPs is required to increase the types and densities of BMPs needed to achieve regional water quality goals.

【 授权许可】

Free