Progress 05/01/11 to 04/30/13
Outputs
Target Audience: The target audiences are potato and vegetable growers, food processors, recreation industry, lake and stream users and owners, state agencies (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, and Natural Resources Conservation Service), and communities and citizens of Central Wisconsin. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Distillation of hydrology and agronomic research in the Central Sands resulted in a comprehensive white paper, Kniffen et al 2014, which is being used as the foundation for a WGNHS modeling project in the Little Plover River, which will then be used by DNR to manage water use across the sands. Community Forums and field tours raised awareness for all stakeholder groups and paved the way for comprehensive modeling projects to direct future water management. Geological studies at Long Lake confirmed the presence of clay layers that can act as aquitards which impede groundwater flow. WGNHS is conducting extensive studies in Adams and Portage Co.s to determine the extent of these deposits What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The objectives of this study were to bring together all stakeholder groups in Wisconsin's Central Sands and determine research needs and potential solutions that would maintain a productive irrigated agriculture and preserve water resources. Four mini-conferences were held at UW Madison to distill all available research and identify needs. Three groundwater community forums were held in 2012, in Stevens Point, Plover and Wautoma where scientists, citizens, environmental groups, farmers, food processors, state agencies and local governments, and communities shared positions in managed discussions. 40-60 people attended each forum and two primary goals were arrived at: 1) restore and maintain the natural water resources; and 2) maintain a vibrant agricultural industry. Three educational tours were conducted to show stakeholder groups ongoing UW water research, operational irrigated vegetable farms and areas where lowered groundwater levels were causing reduced stream flows and lake levels. Over 50 participants attended each tour representing all stakeholders. Two field educational tours were conducted to introduce state (DNR) and Federal (NRCS) agency staff to agricultural production systems. A research study of Waushara Co. Lake, Long Lake, suffering reduced water levels, was conducted by Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey to investigate stratigraphy and connection to the groundwater aquifer. Piezometer data showed that is connected to the aquifer and is a drainage lake with a SE -SW flow. Lenses of fine deposits (clays) were present between the surface and groundwater which could serve a aquitards and impede groundwater flow but these were not continuous.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Kniffen, M, K Bradbury, K Potter, A Bussan and J Colquhoun, 2014,
http://wisa.cals.wisc.edu/central-sands-white-paper
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Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Objective 3: Conduct Work Group Summit/Retreat. Workgroup meetings were held in January and March to gather research efforts and coordinate and plan future efforts. Objective 6: Working groups meet to coordinate ongoing research with new funding. Research trials were initiated in the vicinity of Long Lake. Specific focus is evaluation of soil layers and determination if impermeable layers exist through the soil depth leading to different groundwater layers. In addition, hydrologic model is being developed for Long Lake to predict lake levels in response land management. Objective 7: Convene the 3rd Central Sands Water Initiative Conference. Conference was held in Wautoma, WI, and included over 60 individuals from lakes and river groups, local government agency personnel, and agricultural industry representatives. Furthermore, a field day was held in August, 2012, that include visits to the Little Plover River, Long Lake, Heartland Farms, and Isherwood Farms. PARTICIPANTS: Jeff Wyman, Horticulture Department; Birl Lowery, Soil Science Department; Frederick W. Madison, Soil Science Department; Greg Tripoli, Atmospheric & Oceanic Science Department; William L. Bland, Soil Science Department; Chris J. Kucharik, Agronomy Department; Pete Nowak, Nelson Institute; John Norman, Soil Science Department; Matthew Ruark, Soil Science Department; John Panuska, Biological System Engineering; Scott Sanford, Biological System Engineering; Russ Groves, Entomology Department; Amanda Gevens, Plant Pathology Department; Alvin J. Bussan, Horticulture Department; Paul Mitchell, Ag & Applied Economics Department;; Andy Diercks, Coloma Farms; George Kraft, UW-Stevens Points;; Jim VandenBrook, Wisconsin DATCP; Jeff Postle, Wisconsin DATCP; Carl Wacker, USDA-NRCS; Pat Murphy, USDA-NRCS, John Walker, USGS; Ken Bradbury, WI Natural History Survey; Ken Schroeder, Portage Co Ag Agent; Ken Potter, Civil Engineering. TARGET AUDIENCES: Wisconsin potato and vegetable growers association, Midwest food processors association, Village of Plover, Portage County, Wisconsin River Alliance, Lakes associations throughout Central Wisconsin Drainage Districts. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Improved awareness of agricultural and non-agricultural constituents across Central Wisconsin. Through these meetings the following overall goals were identified: 1. Maintain the waters and ecological resources of the region as healthy even with future water development. 2. Restore or maintain the healthy waters of the Central Sands. 3. Promote and maintain a vibrant agriculture industry. Meetings are ongoing with state of Wisconsin agency personnel with regard to management options for groundwater table as it relates to irrigation.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Dr. Jeff Wyman from the Wisconsin Institute of Sustainable Agriculture and I launched "Central Sand Water Initiative". I coordinated a steering committee made of six UW faculty and an adviser from the DATCP Grower Board. We organized four mini conferences to address what had been the root cause of groundwater level decline and dry up of many small lakes and streams in the central Wisconsin as well as how to optimally use the limited water resource to achieve the most diverse and robust regional economy. Moreover, we hosted two neighborhood gatherings where science-based objective platform was provided so that concerned citizens and growers could meet one another as neighbors to discuss how to best move forward to resolve the water crisis in central Wisconsin. PARTICIPANTS: Not relevant to this project. TARGET AUDIENCES: Not relevant to this project. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
In 2011, my efforts had been focused on the following two areas: 1. I co-advised a RA with Birl Lowery to quantify the minimum sampling area to determine net water recharge and deep chemical leaching in the central sand area of Wisconsin. A preliminary field experiment was conducted in Coloma Farm. The results showed that the porous stainless steel tubes installed at 70 cm depth could only recover about one third of the deep infiltration. More experiments will be conducted to determine the causes of this poor performance. 2. With support from CALS International Program, I represented the Wisconsin-Anhui Working Committee to visit Anhui Province, China in July to understand the pollution problems of the Chao Lake watershed. Then, I hosted a Anhui delegation in August to help them understand how a wide expertise pool from Wisconsin can help them develop a comprehensive plan to resolve the pollution problems of the Chao Lake watershed. After the visits, it was agreed that the UW experts will help the Anhui Agricultural University to organize an international symposium on how to best control non-point source pollution problems in the developing countries.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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