Source: MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV submitted to NRP
DOWNSTREAM WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY IMPACTS OF WATER STORAGE SYSTEMS IN PORTER BAYOU WATERSHED
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0227199
Grant No.
2011-51130-31168
Cumulative Award Amt.
$445,000.00
Proposal No.
2011-05169
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2011
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2016
Grant Year
2011
Program Code
[110.C]- Watershed Scale Proposals
Recipient Organization
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV
(N/A)
MISSISSIPPI STATE,MS 39762
Performing Department
Agricultural & Biological Engineering
Non Technical Summary
Farmers and landowners are faced with two major issues with regard to sustainably managing agroecosystems in the Mississippi Delta region, namely, the declining groundwater levels in the Mississippi Delta Shallow Alluvial Aquifer, and nutrient loads into the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The declining groundwater levels in the Mississippi Delta are representative of conditions in the mid-South. On-site water storage reservoirs offer farmers and landowners the flexibility of providing irrigation water and capturing nutrient-rich tailwater from irrigated fields. Collecting and reusing tailwater benefits the environment by avoiding discharge of nutrients into surface waters. Farmers are currently installing these systems, and requests for assistance through NRCS have increased in the past year. The placement of these systems throughout a watershed can be better targeted if we can quantify the downstream nutrient reduction and water quantity effects of the technology. Once we have a better understanding of how these systems affect downstream water quality and quantity, we can also use watershed runoff models to target implementation of these practices in critical areas throughout the mid-South.
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
10%
Applied
50%
Developmental
40%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
1110210202040%
1110210205020%
1110320205010%
1120210202010%
1120320205020%
Knowledge Area
112 - Watershed Protection and Management; 111 - Conservation and Efficient Use of Water;

Subject Of Investigation
0320 - Watersheds; 0210 - Water resources;

Field Of Science
2020 - Engineering; 2050 - Hydrology;
Goals / Objectives
The overall goal of this project is to determine the watershed-scale impacts of water storage systems on water quality and quantity in Porter Bayou Watershed, Mississippi. We plan to test our central hypothesis and accomplish the goal of the project by pursuing the following objectives: 1) Determine the downstream nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations of effluent from water storage systems (Research Objective); 2) Quantify the effects of water storage systems on downstream flow levels through a watershed (Research Objective); 3) Increase the adoption of on-site water storage technology and dissemination of potential benefits (Extension Objective); and4) Enhance the science education of middle and high school students by promoting the benefits of water conservation and environmental stewardship (Education Objective). Our expected outcomes include determination of the level of nutrient reduction that can be achieved by using a water storage system, determination of changes in streamflow patterns caused by the presence of water storage systems in the watershed, farmers and landowners who are better informed of the water quality and quantity benefits of using on-site storage systems, and students who are trained and educated in the area of water quality.
Project Methods
For Objective 1, we will install SIRCO automatic vacuum samplers to collect water samples at four sites throughout the headwater area of Porter Bayou Watershed, including one near an existing water storage system. Collection of water samples from all four locations will be done every two weeks from April to October. The samplers will be programmed to collect a sample every hour for 24 hours. In addition, we will collect samples from in-stream sites when runoff from a rainfall event or excess irrigation causes the water in the ditch to overflow into the stream. Water samples will be analyzed for pH, turbidity, total suspended solids, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and orthophosphate. Water level sensors will be deployed in the tailwater recovery ditch to measure the depth of water over time. Time series water level data will provide information on the changes in water depth as a result of precipitation, evaporation, surface runoff, and irrigation events. A weather station will be installed to measure precipitation, temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, and other weather variables. In order to accomplish Objective 2, we will analyze the streamflow records from four USGS gauges within the watershed to determine a) if there are any differences in streamflow before and after system installation, and b) if there are cumulative effects on downstream volume as the number of water storage systems in operation increases. We will also concurrently analyze the aforementioned streamflow data with precipitation data to determine if the source of the flow is from rainfall runoff or irrigation runoff. Essential to the completion of Objective 3, is the support of various stakeholder groups. We plan to conduct meetings and field days in the Mississippi Delta Region. We will provide farmers information about the current state of technology, including management options, regarding the on-site storage system, and elicit input from stakeholders. Finally, as part of Objective 4, we will provide hands-on water resource training in Porter Bayou and campus-based mentoring for Grade 6-12 students.

Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/16

Outputs
Target Audience:Farmers and commodity boards, NRCS, EPA and state water quality specialists, teachers, students, and environmental professionals. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The PIs and graduate students participated in several conferences and presented the results of this project. An undergraduate student worked on this project as part of a directed individual study. This project also provided research opportunities to three high school students from the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in Columbus, MS. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We have presented results from this project at various scientific conferences (ASABE, UCOWR/NIWR, National Nonpoint Source Monitoring, Mississippi Water Resources) and stakeholder meetings, including the Delta Council, Commodity boards, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, Yazoo Basin Team, the Mississippi Chapter of the American Society of Agronomy, and others. This project has also been used to provide research opportunities for junior and senior high school students attending the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science. In addition, information and results provided through this project were used to train participants attending an Adopt-A-Stream workshop, who were interested in monitoring their watershed and largely consisted of teachers and environmental professionals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We monitored two on-farm water storage (OFWS) systems, one on Metcalf Farm and one on Pitts Farm in Porter Bayou Watershed, Mississippi through our partnership with NRCS and other stakeholders. Water samples from different points (inlet, outlet, mid-canal, and storage pond) within the OFWS were collected for analysis every three weeks throughout the growing season from March-October and every six weeks through the off-season. Cumulative readings were also taken on flow meters to measure water use both from the storage pond and groundwater wells. Comparing nutrient concentrations in the TWR canal and at the outlet over the entire study period, we observed a reduction of 67% and 50% in nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) at Pitts Farm during winter and spring, respectively, while Metcalf farm had slightly lower reduction in NO3-N in the winter (54%). Reductions in total phosphorus at Pitts Farm were 31% and 10% during winter and spring, respectively. Based on median NO3-N concentrations and volume discharge from the Metcalf farm for a three-month period, a 54% reduction translated into 289 kg of NO3-N that was retained within the OFWS system. We also analyzed the impacts of rainfall characteristics on water quality in TWR canals. Forty-seven rainfall events were selected to match water quality monitoring of the canals conducted from March 2012 to March 2016. These events were classified according to their intensities and durations into five classes and then correlated with NO3-N levels of water in the canal. Rainfall frequency ranked from highest to lowest was class II > class III > class I = class V > class IV. In terms of total rainfall depth, the following order was class V > class III > class II > class IV > class I. NO3-N concentration correlated negatively with time between previous rainfall and sampling events and time before next-to-last rainfall event, and positively with depth of next-to-last rainfall event, which suggests that the TWR canal could be overwhelmed by high-magnitude intensity and recurrent rainfall events, possibly negating the nutrient reduction benefits of the structure. Rainfall events classified as II (intensity of < 7.5 mm h-1; duration of < 2 h) and III (intensity of < 7.5 mm h-1; duration between > 2 and < 10 h) were the most frequent and also the most likely to trigger higher concentrations of NO3-N in the canal. Results of this project provide evidence of significant seasonal water quality changes among the different monitored locations and, more importantly, highlight downstream nutrient reduction. Equally important were the significant water savings by utilizing surface water storage for irrigation activities. Pitts Farm used 163.3 million gallons (501.1 acre-ft) of water from 2012 to 2015 growing seasons, while Metcalf Farm used 96.9 million gallons (297.4 acre-ft) of water from its storage pond during the same period. These amounts reflect savings in groundwater that was not pumped from the Mississippi Delta Shallow Alluvial Aquifer.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Tagert, M.L., J.O. Paz, J.D. P�rez-Guti�rrez, and R. Karki. 2016. Tailwater Recovery and On-Farm Water Storage. 19th Annual National Conservation Systems Cotton and Rice Conference and Delta States Irrigation Conference. January 12-14, 2016. Memphis, TN. (Invited Presentation)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: P�rez-Guti�rrez, J.D., J.O. Paz, and M.L. Tagert. 2016. Towards an Improved Understanding of On-farm Water Storage Systems in Mississippi: How much water is lost from these systems? Mississippi Water Research Conference. April 5-6, 2016, Jackson, Mississippi (Oral Presentation; Awarded 2nd place)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Tagert, M.L., J.O. Paz, J.D. P�rez-Guti�rrez, and R. Karki. 2016. Best Management Practices. 2016 Adopt-A-Stream Workshop. June 14-15. Percy Quin State Park, McComb, MS. (Invited Presentation).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Paz, J.O., M.L. Tagert, J.D. P�rez-Guti�rrez, and R. Karki. 2016. Monitoring of On-Farm Water Storage Systems for Water Reuse and Nutrient Reduction. University Council on Water Resources /National Institutes for Water Resources 2016 Conference. June 21-23, 2016. Pensacola, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: P�rez-Guti�rrez, J.D, J.O. Paz, M.L. Tagert, and Y. Ouyang, 2016. Water Quality Dynamics in Agricultural Ponds in Mississippi: In-situ Measured Water Quality Parameters. ASABE Paper 162460845. 2016 ASABE Annual International Meeting. Orlando, FL.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: P�rez-Guti�rrez, J.D, J.O. Paz, M.L. Tagert, Y. Ouyang, and M. Sepehrifar. 2016. Effects of Hydroclimate on In-ditch Nutrient Concentrations: Case Study of Two Tail-water Recovery Ditches in Mississippi. ASABE Paper 162460862. 2016 ASABE Annual International Meeting. Orlando, FL.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2016 Citation: P�rez-Guti�rrez, J.D., J.O. Paz, and M.L. Tagert. 2016 Seasonal Water Quality Changes in On-Farm Water Storage Systems in South-Central US Agricultural Watersheds. Agricultural Water Management (Under Review)


Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15

Outputs
Target Audience:We presented highlights of our project to producers, members of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Society of Agronomy, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, and members of the Soybean Promotion Board. We also visited the Metcalf field site with our visiting Cochran Fellows from Bosnia-Herzegovina in August, 2015 and discussed the project's goals and results to date with them. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The PIs and graduate students participated in several conferences and presented the results of this project. A PhD student attended a workshop on the SWAT model and a summer workshop on statistical analysis of environmental data. An undergraduate student analyzed TSS and nutrient data as part of a directed individual study.This project has provided research opportunities to three high school students from the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in Columbus, MS. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We presented the results of our research at several scientific conferences. Dr. Mary Love Tagert (Co-PI) has made presentations to the MS Chapter of the American Society of Agronomy, members of the Soybean Promotion Board, and discussed project results with producers. Mr. Juan David Perez (PhD student) and Mr. Ritesh Karki (M.S. student) presented our project at the Mississippi Water Resources Conference in Jackson, MS. Mr. Perez also presented a poster at the Southern Regional Statistics Conference and a paper at the 2015 ASABE International Meeting. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?A Ph.D. student will be using a model to simulate nutrient levels from different fields and examine the impact of OFWS systems if these were implemented in other locations in the watershed. We will continue to monitor the two OFWS systems and collect data on nutrient levels and surface water use. We plan to collect soil samples and examine the implications of nutrient concentrations in irrigation water from these systems on field-level nutrient balance. We also plan to work with Delta F.A.R.M. and schedule field days or other outreach activities with farmers and stakeholders.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The declining groundwater levels in the Mississippi Delta Shallow Alluvial Aquifer and nutrient loads into the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico are the two most important issues affecting the sustainability of agroecosystems in the Mississippi Delta region. Numerous on-farm water storage (OFWS) systems have been recently installed across the region, with funding primarily through the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative and other state and federal assistance programs.We monitored two OFWS systems, one on Metcalf Farm and one on Pitts Farm in Porter Bayou watershed, Mississippi through our partnership with NRCS and other stakeholders. Our results provide evidence of significant seasonal water quality changes among the different monitored locations, and more importantly, highlight downstream nutrient reduction. We found a reduction of 54% and 50% nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) concentration in the tailwater recovery (TWR) ditch during winter and spring, respectively. In-pond NO3-N concentration removal efficiency was ~77% during summer. We estimated a reduction of 60% in NH3-N concentration in the TWR ditch during spring, whereas we observed NH3-N removal percentages of 55.5%, on average, from winter through to summer in the pond. While orthophosphate concentration in the ditch was reduced between 26 and 49% during autumn, in-pond concentration removal efficiency was observed to be ~70% from winter to summer. Total phosphorus in the TWR ditch was reduced by 31% and 10% during winter and spring, respectively. From winter to spring, in-pond TP concentration was reduced by 28%, and from spring to summer by 55%. The results of this study indicate that the downstream nutrient reduction can vary with season and be considerably significant during spring. This variation is of special interest when targeting the effect of agriculturally-originated nutrient loading into the Gulf of Mexico as the dead zone is mainly observed during spring.The water savings potential of these systems has been substantial. Metcalf Farm used 80.6 million gallons (247.3 acre-ft) of water from the storage pond from 2012 to 2014, while Pitts Farm used 153.7 million gallons (471.7 acre-ft) of water during the same period. These amounts reflect savings in groundwater that was not pumped from the Mississippi Alluvial Aquifer. We have leveraged this project and received support from the Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board for a new project to monitor an OFWS system outside of the Mississippi Delta region. Farmers and stakeholders in other parts of the state are very interested in adopting this best management practice for water conservation and nutrient reduction.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: P�rez-Guti�rrez, J.D., J.O. Paz, M.L.M. Tagert, R. Karki. 2015. Water Quality Changes in On-Farm Water Storage Systems: A Seasonal Variability Analysis. Mississippi Water Research Conference. April 7-8, 2015, Jackson, MS
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Karki, R., M.L.M. Tagert, J.O. Paz, and J.D. P�rez-Guti�rrez. 2015. Assessment of On-Farm Water Storage Systems (OFWS) for Design and Nutrient Variability in the Mississippi Delta and East Mississippi. MS Water Resources Conference Annual Conference. April 7-8, 2015. Jackson, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: P�rez-Guti�rrez, J.D., J.O. Paz, M.L.M. Tagert, R. Karki. 2015. Assessment of On-Farm Water Storage Systems in Reducing Nutrient Loading from Agricultural Watersheds Using a Non-parametric Approach. Southern Regional Council on Statistics (SRCOS) Summer Research Conference. June 7-10, 2015, Carolina Beach, NC.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: P�rez-Guti�rrez, J.D., J.O. Paz, M.L.M. Tagert, R. Karki. 2015. Seasonal variation of water quality in on-farm storage systems: case study of a Mississippi Delta agricultural watershed. ASABE Paper No. 152190473. 2015 ASABE Annual International Meeting. July 26-29, 2015. New Orleans, LA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Karki, R., M.L.M. Tagert, J.O. Paz, and J.D. P�rez-Guti�rrez. 2015. Assessment of On-Farm Water Storage (OFWS) System as a BMP for Sustainable Irrigation and Nutrient Loading Control in Mississippi. ASABE Paper No. 152190476. 2015 ASABE Annual International Meeting. New Orleans, LA. July 26-29, 2015.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Paz, J.O., M.L. Tagert, J.W. Pote, and C.L. Wax. 2015. Downstream Water Quality and Quantity Impacts of Water Storage Systems in Porter Bayou Watershed. USDA-NIFA Project Directors Meeting and 70th Annual Soil and Water Conservation Society Conference. July 26-29, 2015. Greensboro, NC.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ouyang, Y., J.O. Paz, G. Feng, J. Read, and A. Adeli, and J. Jenkins. 2015. A model to estimate hydrological processes and water budget from an irrigation farm pond in Mississippi. Water Resources Management.


Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14

Outputs
Target Audience: We presented highlights of our project to the Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board and to several EPA water quality specialists and NRCS district conservationists at the National Nonpoint Source Monitoring Conference and Workshops. Changes/Problems: A new graduate student started his Ph.D. program in January 2014. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The project investigators and a graduate student attended trainings on responsible conduct of research. Graduate and undergraduate students who worked on this project attended lab safety trainings at Mississippi State University. The students also learned water quality lab procedures and nutrient analyses, and the use of field monitoring equipment. The PIs and graduate student participated in two international conferences and presented the results of this project. We mentored a high school student from Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in the spring semester 2014. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? We presented the results of our research at several scientific conferences. Mary Love Tagert presented our project at the Mississippi Water Resources Conference in Jackson, MS. Joel Paz presented two papers and participated in the 2013 National Nonpoint Source Monitoring Conference and 2014 ASABE and CSBE/SCGAB Annual International Meeting. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We will continue to monitor the two OFWS systems and collect data on nutrient levels and surface water use. We plan to collect soil samples and examine the implications of nutrient concentrations in irrigation water from these systems on field-level nutrient balance. A Ph.D. student will be using the AnnAGNPS model to simulate nutrient levels from different fields and examine the impact of OFWS systems if these were implemented in other locations in the watershed. We also plan to work with Delta Council and schedule field days with farmers and stakeholders.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? This project has monitored water savings and nutrient levels at two on-farm storage systems (OFWS) systems, one each at Metcalf Farm and at Pitts Farm, in Porter Bayou Watershed, Mississippi. Data collection began in February 2012 and is ongoing, with water samples collected for analysis every three weeks throughout the growing season from March-October and every six weeks through the off season. Cumulative readings were also taken on flow meters to measure water use from the storage pond. The ability of these systems to reduce downstream nutrient concentrations has been mixed, with systems performing better when the tailwater recovery ditch is not full and can contain runoff on site. Thus, better management will improve the nutrient reduction potential of these systems. The water savings potential of these systems has been substantial. Metcalf Farm used 42 and 17 million gallons of water from the storage pond in 2012 and 2013, respectively; Pitts Farm used 60 and 56 million gallons of water from the storage pond in 2012 and 2013, respectively. These amounts reflect savings in groundwater that was not pumped from the Mississippi Alluvial Aquifer. We have leveraged this project and received support from the Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board for a new project (which started in May 2014) to monitor an OFWS system outside of the Mississippi Delta region. Farmers and other stakeholders in other parts of the state are very interested in adopting this best management practice for water conservation and nutrient reduction.

Publications

  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Kirmeyer, R.L. 2013. Characterization and monitoring of on-farm storage systems in Porter Bayou Watershed, Mississippi. MS Thesis. Mississippi State University. 91 pp.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Paz, J.O., M.L. Tagert, J.W. Pote, and R.L. Kirmeyer. 2013. Strengthening partnership with stakeholders: monitoring of on-farm water storage systems for nutrient reduction and water conservation. 2013 National Nonpoint Source Monitoring Conference & Workshops. October 28-30, 2013. Cleveland, OH.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Tagert, M.L., J.O. Paz, J.W. Pote, and R.L. Kirmeyer. 2014. Benefits of on-farm water storage systems in Porter Bayou Watershed. Mississippi Water Resources Research Conference. April 1-2, 2014. Jackson, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Carruth, G., J.O. Paz, M.L. Tagert, S.M. Guzman, and J.L. Oldham. 2014. Reusing irrigation water from tailwater recovery systems: implications on field and stream-level nutrient status. ASABE Paper 141913747. 2014 ASABE and CSBE/SCGAB Annual International Meeting. July 13-16, 2014. Montreal, Quebec, Canada.


Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/13

Outputs
Target Audience: We presented highlights of our project to stakeholder groups (Delta Council and MS Soybean Promotion Board). Changes/Problems: Our first Ph.D. student, Kathleen McCraven, had to withdraw from the program for personal reasons. We have identified a new Ph.D. student who will begin working on the project in January 2014. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Two graduate students, Graydon Carruth and Richard Kirmeyer, are working on different aspects of the project. We mentored two students from Mississippi School of Mathematics and Science, Ashley Henderson and Donely Gunn. They assisted in several project activities including field sampling and nutrient analysis. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? We presented the results of our research at several scientific conferences during the second year of the project. Mary Love Tagert presented our project at the American Water Resources Association Specialty Conference in St. Louis, MO and Mississippi Water Resources Conference in Jackson, MS. Joel Paz and Mary Love Tagert presented two papers and participated in the Annual Soil and Water Conservation Conference/NIFA Land Grant-Sea Grant Meeting in Reno, NV. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We will continue to monitor the two OFWS systems and collect data on nutrient levels and surface water use. We plan to use the AnnAGNPS model to simulate nutrient levels from different fields if OFWS systems were implemented in other locations in Porter Bayou watershed. This modeling activity will be part of a Ph.D. graduate student’s research. We also plan to work with Delta Council and schedule field days with farmers and stakeholders, and we will work with the Mississippi Wildlife Federation to host a workshop(s) for teachers and/or students to promote the benefits of conserving our natural resources.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? During the second year of this project, on-farm water storage (OFWS) systems at Metcalf and Pitts farm in Porter Bayou Watershed were monitored for changes in nutrient levels and water withdrawal for irrigation. Nitrogen and phosphorus levels were generally higher during the early part of the growing season. The OFWS systems can reduce nitrate and phosphorus in runoff up to 81% and 85%, respectively. However, the systems did not consistently reduce sediment and nutrients especially after significant rainfall and runoff events. The systems provided a total of 130 and 233 acre-feet of recycled water for irrigating crops at Metcalf and Pitts, respectively, during the 2012 growing season. These amounts reflect significant savings in terms of groundwater. This study highlights the advantages of OFWS systems as structural BMPs to reduce nutrient loading into the Gulf of Mexico and to minimize groundwater withdrawals from the Mississippi Alluvial Aquifer.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2013 Citation: McCraven, E.K., J.O. Paz, M.L. Tagert, R.L. Kirmeyer, and J.W. Pote. 2013. Potential nutrient reductions and water savings from on-farm water storage systems. American Water Resources Association Specialty Conference. March 25-27, 2013. St. Louis, MO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2013 Citation: Tagert, M.L., J.O. Paz, J.W. Pote, E.K. McCraven, and R.L. Kirmeyer. 2013. Nutrient reduction benefits of On-Farm Water Storage systems in Porter Bayou Watershed. Mississippi Water Resources Research Conference. April 2-3, 2013. Jackson, MS.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2013 Citation: Tagert, M.L., J.O. Paz, E.K. McCraven, R.L. Kirmeyer, and J.W. Pote. 2013. Potential water benefits of on-farm storage systems. Lecture Presentation. 66th Annual Soil and Water Conservation Conference: Resilient Landscapes Session. July 21-24, 2013. Reno, NV.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2013 Citation: Paz, J.O., M.L. Tagert, E.K. McCraven, R.L. Kirmeyer, and J.W. Pote. 2013. Monitoring of on-farm water storage systems in Porter Bayou Watershed, Mississippi. Poster Presentation. 66th Annual Soil and Water Conservation Conference. Water Resources Research, Education, and Outreach (NIFA Land Grant/Sea Grant 406 and NRI) Session. July 21-24, 2013. Reno, NV.


Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: During the first year of the project, we selected two on-farm water storage (OFWS) systems installed at Metcalf and Pitts Farms within Porter Bayou watershed. The fields are located in Indianola, MS. The OFWS systems were selected after consulting with NRCS staff. The Porter Bayou Watershed is classified as an EPA priority watershed and covers parts of Sunflower and Bolivar counties. The headwater area of the watershed has an existing OFWS system where water is used to irrigate primarily rice and soybean in precision-level fields. An ISCO liquid sampler was installed on each site and programmed to collect a 1-liter sample from the tailwater recovery (TRW) ditch on specific dates, every hour for 24 hours. Grab water samples from different points within the OFWS were collected every three weeks and analyzed for different water quality parameters. Water level sensors (Global Water model WL 16) were installed in the tail water recovery ditch to record water level (ft.) and water temperature (oF) every 10 minutes. Two weather stations (Watchdog 2900ET series) were installed in the study area. The station recorded rainfall (in), solar radiation (MJ/sq m), wind direction (mph), wind dust (mph), wind speed (mph), air temperature (deg F), and dew point temperature (deg F). Weather data were recorded every 15 minutes and downloaded to a computer every three weeks. The amount of water from OFWS systems used for irrigation was recorded throughout the 2012 growing season. A total of 183.51 acre-foot of water from OFWS was used to irrigate corn grown on the 158-acre Pitts Farm which translates to a savings of approximately 60 million gallons of water which were not pumped from the aquifer for irrigation purposes. Effluent water from OFWS systems in Metcalf and Pitts farms had 50% lower nitrate levels compared to water that entered the systems. Phosphate levels of effluent water in Metcalf and Pitts farms were reduced by 75% and 56%, respectively. Both farms showed higher concentrations of the measured parameters in the tailwater recovery ditch and storage ponds due to these areas having been designed to have higher retention times. Cropping systems and management data were collected and will be used later along with nutrient data for modeling purposes. PARTICIPANTS: Joel Paz, Mary Love Tagert, Jonathan Pote and Charles Wax of Mississippi State University are the investigators working on this project. Elizabeth McCraven and Richard Kirmeyer are graduate students working on different aspects of the project. Trinity Long and Joey Adams of NRCS have provided valuable information with regard to site selection and contacting farmers. Boyer Britt and Walter Pitts are our local farmer cooperators in Indianola, MS. Thomas Easterling is our primary contact at MSMS in Columbus, MS and helped us to identify a high school student to work on our project. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
We presented the preliminary results of our research at different venues. Two project investigators, Joel Paz and Mary Love Tagert, participated in the 2012 Land and Sea Grant National Water Conference in Portland, Oregon. Mary Love Tagert presented our project at the Mississippi Water Resources Conferences in April 2012. Richard Kirmeyer, a graduate student working on this project, presented his research at the Annual ASABE International meeting in Dallas, Texas. We have started working on the educational component of our project, and we have discussions with the faculty of Mississippi Mathematics and Science (MSMS) school in Columbus, MS. This fall, Ashley Henderson, a high school student at MSMS, started working on her research, which will be aligned with our project on OFWS.

Publications

  • Kirmeyer, R.L. III, J.O. Paz, M.L. Tagert, J.W. Pote, and E.K. McCraven. 2012. On-farm water storage systems in Porter Bayou Watershed, Mississippi. ASABE Conference Paper No. 121337631. 2012 ASABE Annual International Meeting. Dallas, TX.
  • Paz, J.O., M.L. Tagert, J.W. Pote, C.L. Wax, R.L. Kirmeyer, and E.K. McCraven. 2012. Do on-farm water storage systems affect streamflow and nutrient levels downstream Abstract. 2012 Land Grant and Sea Grant National Water Conference. May 20-24, 2012. Portland, OR.
  • Tagert, M.L., J.O. Paz, J.W. Pote, and R.L. Kirmeyer. 2012. Downstream water quality and quantity impacts of water storage systems in a Mississippi Delta Watershed. Abstract. Mississippi Water Resources Conference. April 3-4, 2012. Jackson, MS.