Progress 03/01/06 to 06/10/07
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) Natural resource responses will be studied at field, farm and watershed scale to support conservation practice implementation and alternatives to meet the goals of the Clean Water Act of 1972 and the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002. Research will focus on improving knowledge of physical processes as needed for developing tools and techniques to quantify the impact of implementing conservation practices within a watershed in the most efficient manner to achieve sustainable and targeted reductions of clean sediment loadings to the nation's streams, rivers, and impounded waters to meet total maximum daily load requirements. Approach (from AD-416) Utilizing hydrology, hydraulics, geomorphology principles, combined with related acoustic, seismic, and remote-sensing related techniques, methods will be developed to measure, characterize, and predict changes in runoff, concentrated flow, soil, gully, and stream channel erosion and downstream deposition rates. Research will focus on developing tools and techniques to quantify and predict the impact of implementing conservation and stream corridor restoration practices within watersheds in the most efficient manner to achieve sustainable crop production systems and targeted reductions of land erosion and sediment loadings in support of the Conservation Effects Assessment Project and the ARS NP201 Program. Accomplishments Sediment Source Tracking on Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) Watersheds: Agricultural practices often lead to changes in the amount and character of sediment in surface waters which results in erosion or deposition on channel boundaries and to the destruction of valuable land and infrastructure and disruptions of the aquatic environment. Ratios of naturally occurring radionuclides attached to the sediment were used as indicators of the source of sediment to the channels of five CEAP watersheds. It was determined that the dominant source of sediment reaching the channels was derived from the channel boundary on three of the five CEAP watersheds studied. Knowledge of the dominant sources of sediment is critical information needed by watershed model developers and land managers to design effective management practices to reduce erosion and sedimentation on agricultural watersheds. This research supports National Program 201 Water Quality and Management, Problem area #1 Effectiveness of Conservation Practices. Restoration of bendway site on the CEAP Goodwin Creek Watershed: As part of efforts to investigate and quantify in-channel mitigation measures to control of sediment production, research was conducted to develop and monitor a bank-stabilization scheme for an eroding meander bend on Goodwin Creek, Mississippi. Work was conducted in cooperation with the Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center (Vicksbug, MS) . Using the National Sedimentation Laboratory (NSL) bank-stability and toe erosion model, it was determined that rock placed at the bank toe would be required to halt bank steepening by the force of flowing water in the channel. The original design tested was using a 45-degree slope which was found to be still unstable under worst-case moisture conditions. The bank slope could not be flattened further because of the need to maintain a road along the top of the bank. The bank-stability model showed, however, that by adding riparian vegetation, the bank would remain stable even under worst-case conditions. This design was selected and constructed. Results have been presented at a national technical meeting and published in a proceedings paper. The bend is being monitored for sediment loads and stability to determine if the design will continue to be successful. This research provides an important example of the use of numerical tools to design and implement successful rehabilitation projects. This work specifically addresses Objective 2 of the in-house project that aims to evaluate relative magnitudes of sources and fates of sediment in CEAP-benchmark and other watersheds. Successful field testing of innovative levee protection technology: Many of the levees that are used for commercial aquaculture and irrigation water storage experience significant embankment erosion due to wind- driven waves. Techniques that are commonly used for large-scale embankment protection, such as rip-rap, are too expensive to be a viable solution and vegetation is precluded by water level fluctuations imposed by irrigation scheduling. An inexpensive design for a floating breakwater constructed from plastic irrigation pipe was successfully tested in the field after extensive testing in a custom built laboratory wave tank. Wave amplitudes were visibly reduced, and measurements confirmed significant reductions in wave energy downwind of the barrier. This work contributes to NP201: Problem Area 4--Integrated Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Technologies. Dating of sediments in Sky Lake, Mississippi: (6408-13000-018-05S) Sediment accumulation in lakes results in a reduced storage capacity and often serves as a storage sink for pesticides attached to sediment particles. However, the sediments provide a record of the erosion history of watersheds that contribute runoff to a lake. Sediments from Sky Lake, a cutoff of the ancient Mississippi River channel, near Belzoni, Mississippi were dated using Carbon 14 and other radiometric dating techniques along with particle size measurements. The resulting study showed that erosion rates since widespread land clearing in the area over the last 100 years are approximately 50 times those prevalent after the lake had fully separated from its hydraulic connection to the Mississippi River. This knowledge is important for use in measuring the effectiveness of erosion control measures. It allows reduced erosion rates resulting from management practices to be evaluated against ancient erosion rates. This work contributes to NP201: Problem Area 4--Integrated Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Technologies. Technology Transfer Number of Web Sites managed: 2 Number of Non-Peer Reviewed Presentations and Proceedings: 34
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Yuan, Y., Bingner, R.L., Boystun, J. 2006. Development of TMDL Watershed Implementation Plans Using Annualized AGNPS. Land Use and Water Resources Research. 6: 2.1-2.8.
- Gordon, L., Bennett, S.J., Bingner, R.L., Theurer, F., Alonso, C.V. 2007. Simulating Ephemeral Gully Erosion in AnnAGNPS. Transactions of the ASABE, Vol. 50(3): 857-866.
- Moriasi, D.N., Arnold, J.G., Van Liew, M.W., Bingner, R.L., Harmel, R.D., Veith, T.L. 2007. Model evaluation guidelines for systematic quantification of accuracy in watershed simulations. Transactions of the ASABE. 50(3):885-900.
- Yuan, Y., Bingner, R.L., Chaubey, I. 2006. Phosphorus Modeling in the Annualized Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution (AnnAGNPS) Model. In: Radcliffe, D.E., and Cabrera, M.L. (Eds.). Modeling Phosphorus in the Environment, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida. p. 215-240.
- Kuhnle, R.A., Horton, J.K., Bennett, S.J., Best, J.L. 2006. Bed forms in bimodal sand-gravel sediments: Laboratory and field analysis. Sedimentology, 53: 631-654.
- Li, H., Barkdoll, B., Kuhnle, R.A., Alonso, C.V. 2006. Parallel walls as an abutment scour countermeasure. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 132(5) : 510-520 (doi 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9429(2006)132:5(910)).
- Kuhnle, R.A., Wren, D.G. 2006. Lateral variations in suspended sediment transport over dunes. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 132(12): 1341-1346.
- Bennett, S.J., Alonso, C.V. 2006. Turbulent flow and bed pressure within headcut scour holes due to plane reattached jets. Journal of Hydraulic Research. 44(4): 510-521.
- Simon, A., Rinaldi, M. 2006. Disturbance, stream incision, and channel evolution: The roles of excess transport capacity and boundary materials in controlling channel response. Geomorphology 79: 361-383.
- Wells, R.R., Prasad, S.N., Romkens, M.J. 2007. Soil deformation and its spectral signature. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. 32(5):786-793.
- Kuhnle, R.A., Wren, D.G., Chambers, J.P. 2007. Prediction of the grain size of suspended sediment: implications for calculating suspended sediment concentrations using single frequency acoustic backscatter. International Journal of Sediment Research, 22(1): 1-15.
- Wren, D.G., Wells, R.R., Wilson, C.G., Cooper, C.M., Smith Jr, S. 2007. Sedimentation in three small erosion control reservoirs in North Mississippi. Journal of Soil and Water Quality. 62(3): 137-144.
- Cullum, R.F., Wilson, G.V., Mcgregor, K.C., Johnson, J.R. 2007. Runoff and soil loss from ultra-narrow row cotton plots with and without stiff-grass hedges. International Journal of Soil and Tillage Research. 93(1):212-221.
- Pollen, Natasha. 2006. Temporal and spatial variability in the root- reinforcement of streambanks: Accounting for soil shear strength and moisture. Catena 69 (2007): 197-205. doi: 10.1016/j.catena.2006.05.004.
- Wells, R.R., Romkens, M.J., Parlange, J., Dicarlo, D.A., Steenhuis, T.S., Prasad, S.N. 2007. A simple technique for measuring wetting front depths for selected soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal 71(3): 669-673.
- Wilson, G.V., Periketi, R., Fox, G., Dabney, S.M., Shields Jr, F.D., Cullum, R.F. 2006. Soil properties controlling seepage erosion contributions to streambank failure. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 32, 447-459 (2007). doi: 10.1002/esp. 1405.
- Harmel, R.D., King, K.W., Haggard, B.E., Wren, D.G., Sheridan, J.M. 2006. Practical guidance for discharge and water quality data collection on small watersheds. Transactions of the ASABE. 49(4):937-948.
- Fox, G.A., Wilson, G.V., Periketi, R.K., Cullum, R.F. 2006. Sediment transport model for seepage erosion of streambank sediment. Journal Hydrologic Engineering, 11(6): 603-611, ASCE 1084-0699.
- Xu, M., Zhao, Y., Liu, G., Wilson, G.V. 2006. Erosion soil quality factors and indicators in Loess Plateau of China. Soil Science, 171(5): 400-413.
- Jardine, P., Mayes, M., Mulholland, P., Hanson, P., Tarver, J., Luxmoore, R., Mccarthy, J., Wilson, G.V. 2006. Vadose zone flow and transport of dissolved organic carbon at multiple scales in humid regions. Vadose Zone Journal, 5(1): 140-152.
- Yuan, Y., Bingner, R.L., Williams, R.G., Lowrance, R.R., Bosch, D.D., Sheridan, J.M. 2007. Integration of AnnAGNPS and REMM for watershed riparian buffer system assessment. International Journal of Sediment Research, 22(1): 60-69.
- Dabney, S.M. 2006. Tillage Erosion: Terrace Relationships. Encyclopedia of Soil Science, 2nd Edition, Marcell Dekker, New York, NY. pp. 1752-1754.
- Romkens, M.J., Prasad, S. 2006. Rain infiltration into swelling/shrinking/cracking soils. Agricultural Water Management. 86:196- 205.
- Quan, B., Zhu, H., Romkens, M.J. Land suitability assessment and land use change in Fujian Province, China. Pedosphere. 17(4):493-504. 2007
- Shields Jr, F.D., Langendoen, E.J., Doyle, M.W. 2006. Reply to discussion of, "Adapting Existing Models to Examine Effects of Agricultural Conservation Programs on Stream Habitat Quality". Journal of the American Water Resources Association 42(6):1711-1713.
- Fox, G.A., Wilson, G.V., Simon, A., Langendoen, E.J., Akay, O., Fuchs, J.W. 2007. Measuring Streambank Erosion Due to Groundwater Seepage: Correlation to Bank Pore Water Pressure, Precipitation and Stream Stage. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. DOI:10.1002/esp. 1490.
- Yuan, Y., Bingner, R.L., Theurer, F.D. 2006. Subsurface flow component for AnnAGNPS. Transactions of the ASAE. 22(2): 231-241.
|
Progress 10/01/05 to 09/30/06
Outputs
Progress Report 1. What major problem or issue is being resolved and how are you resolving it (summarize project aims and objectives)? How serious is the problem? Why does it matter? Progress during the period prior to 03/01/06 is provided in the accompanying final reported for the terminated inhouse project 6408-13000- 012-00D. A new five-year research plan scheduled to start in 05/01/07 was submitted to ARS Office of Scienific Quality Review (OSQR) approval in response to needs identified in the FY 2005 Program Direction and Resource Allocation (PDRAM) plan established for this Management Unit. This report serves to document progress on milestones scheduled for the intervening period within the present transitional project. An extensive body of literature exists that describes plot or field- scale conservation practices aimed at reducing soil erosion or enhancing water conservation. However, results from plot- and field-scale studies are limited in that they cannot
capture the complexities and interactions of conservation practices at the whole-farm level or at the watershed scale. Soil erosion and sediment movement processes involve the interactions of land management practices with climate, weather, soil, and landscape properties. Concentrated runoff and subsurface flow results in rill and gully erosion thus increasing soil losses and sediment loads within streams and impounded waters and leading to increased costs of crop production, ecological degradation, and impairment of water supplies. This research will focus on developing tools and techniques to quantify the impact of implementing conservation practices within a watershed in the most efficient manner to achieve sustainable and targeted reductions of sediment loadings to the nation's streams and impounded waters to help establish total maximum daily load (TMDL) requirements. New methods to measure and characterize changes in runoff, gully and stream channel erosion, and sediment
deposition rates utilizing hydrological, geomorphic, and hydraulic engineering principles, and related acoustic, seismic, and remote-sensing techniques will be tested in CEAP watersheds within the Yazoo River Basin, and in other watersheds when appropriate. Improved computer models and assessment tools will be provided to evaluate the impact of land conservation and stream and reservoir rehabilitation practices in the most efficient manner to assist watershed managers achieve sustainable crop production systems and targeted reductions of sediment loadings. This project relates to the following Problem Areas and Products in the NP 201 Action Plan: Problem Area #1, Effectiveness of Conservation Practices (CEAP), Products #2, 3 and 5. Problem Area #4, Integrated Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Technologies, Products #1, 2, 3 and 7. Problem Area #5, Watershed Management, Water Availability, and Ecosystem Restoration, Products #2 and 3. 2. List by year the currently approved milestones
(indicators of research progress) This project terminates in April 2007. 4a List the single most significant research accomplishment during FY 2006. This information is provided in the accompanying final report for the terminated project 6408-13000-012-00D. 4b List other significant research accomplishment(s), if any. Sedimentation issues were examined in a relatively large flood control reservoir in a highly unstable, cultivated watershed. Collected sediment cores were analyzed for 137Cs and texture, which demarcated the as-built reservoir timeline, and the bulk chemistry of the sediments. Results suggest that sediment-associated chemical loadings to this reservoir have remained nearly invariant in time and evenly dispersed within the impoundment. Three LWD (Large Woody Debris) structure designs were tested in the outdoor flume at the USDA-ARS Hydraulics Laboratory in Stillwater, OK, to examine failure modes and potential design improvements for these structures. The tests were
focused on the hydrodynamic loading exerted on the structures and their anchoring system, and in detailed velocity measurements around and in the structure. These measurements demonstrated the effectiveness of each design to reduce stream velocity, whereby sediment can collect around the structure enhancing the stability of stream banks. The effect of riparian vegetation on flow resistance within an experimental test channel was shown to vary as a function of vegetation density, and position relative to the stream bed and water surface. Quantification of the interaction between alluvial streams and riparian vegetation is critical for effective stream corridor rehabilitation and flood prevention, and marks an advancement in the science. Collection and compilation of conservation practice data from NRCS, COE, FSA, and USGS for the Little Topashaw Canal (LTC) subwatershed is near completion. Significant progress has been made in processing of these files for analysis and web access.
Three presentations on these CEAP activities in LTC were made by the extension specialist at regional and national meetings as well as participation in Team 1 at the CEAP workshop at Ames, IA. Extensive watershed and channel data were collected in the Stemple Creek watershed, which is an NRCS Special Emphasis CEAP watershed, for use as a database to enhance and test the computer models AnnAGNPS and CONCEPTS. These data are required to evaluate the effectiveness of conservation practices to improve water quality in Stemple Creek. A custom built wave tank and wave generation facility was instrumented and programmed. This facility was tested successfully, and a comprehensive report was prepared and presented to NRCS personnel. In the current phase of the work, various configurations of breakwaters and mooring designs are being studied. The outcome of this project will be cost-effective wave-energy dissipation measures in high demand by NRCS to alleviate erosion on levee embankments in
irrigation and catfish ponds in Arkansas and Mississippi. In cooperation with researchers from the University of Mississippi Department, of Geology, 14C dating was used to measure ancient sedimentation rates in Sky Lake. Innovative use of bulk sediment fractions in the dating process yielded measurements of sediment accumulation that show sharply increased sedimentation rates that may date back to the time when Sky Lake was still part of the Mississippi- Ohio River system. Since that time, sedimentation rates have been constant at approximately 0.17 mm/yr. 5. Describe the major accomplishments to date and their predicted or actual impact. See answer to Question 4a. 6. What science and/or technologies have been transferred and to whom? When is the science and/or technology likely to become available to the end- user (industry, farmer, other scientists)? What are the constraints, if known, to the adoption and durability of the technology products? Adapting and verifying AGNPS for
Spain. Training was provided training to scientists from the Instituto de Agricultura Sostenible, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Cordoba, Spain, to become knowledgeable on the current status of the AGNPS technology. Their application of the technology is important for assessing the impact irrigation system management practices have on controlling water, sediment and nutrient production within European watersheds. Issues Related to Technology and Deployment of Samplers: Information was presented on the use and deployment of emerging technologies to Broderick Davis, Chief of the Federal Interagency Sedimentation Project (FISP). The FISP is charged with facilitating research to make new sediment measurement technologies available to sedimentationists that will improve the quality and lower the cost of acquiring sediment transport data. The FISP represents several Federal Agencies interested in collecting accurate sediment data necessary to fulfill their missions.
Assessing the impact of beaver dams on incised stream channel evolution using CONCEPTS. NSL scientist worked with researchers from the University of Nebraska on using CONCEPTS to study the impact of beaver dams on the evolution of incised stream systems. The University of Nebraska is interested in determining the potential of beaver dams to stabilize these degraded stream systems within agricultural watersheds. Multi-agency project to develop a sophisticated computer model of river morphology. NSL scientists met with representatives of the US Geological Survey and US Bureau of Reclamation to develop a multi-dimensional model of river morphology that is capable of simulating the downstream impacts of dam operations on streambank erosion, river meandering and habitat formation. ARS will contribute its expertise on modeling streambank erosion. NSL Scientists Use NSL Technology in CEAP-Benchmark Watersheds Across the Nation. Cooperative research conducted with ARS locations containing
CEAP-Benchmark watersheds to identify the magnitude and sources of sediment loadings. Results from Georgia, Mississippi, California, New York and Oklahoma show that in most cases, sediment eroding from stream channels is a significant source and greatly exceed "background" rates. NSL Scientists Discuss the Applicability of CONCEPTS Channel-Evolution Model to Quantify Potential Load Reductions. Scientists were invited to present NSL technology on geomorphic analyses and CONCEPTS modeling of streams to representatives of the Tahoe Research Group and the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. Presented results of previous research on fine-sediment loadings to Lake Tahoe and how CONCEPTS could quantify the type of load reductions that could be expected from implementing in-channel mitigation measures. NSL Scientist Invited to Panel Discussion on Stream Restoration Practices. NSL scientist was invited and participated in a panel discussion on the Science of Stream Restoration at
the 2006 EWRI-ASCE World Environmental and Water Resources Congress. The Panel also included cooperators from Wildland Hydrology and University of Illinois. Technology for Automated Sediment Measurement. Members of the Science and Ecosystem Support Division of the Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 visited to discuss acoustic instrumentation for measuring suspended sediment transport. A field trip to Goodwin Creek Experimental Watershed and a visit to the National Center for Physical Acoustics to view and discuss recent advances in acoustic instrumentation were included. EPA is interested in low cost automated methods for measuring sediment transport in streams and rivers. 7. List your most important publications in the popular press and presentations to organizations and articles written about your work. (NOTE: List your peer reviewed publications below). Bennett, S.J., Rhoton, F.E., Hsu, S., Alonso, C.V. Temporal and spatial trends in sediment chemistry impounded within a
flood control reservoir: grenada lake, ms. Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conference Proceedings, April 2-6, 2006, Reno, Nevada. CDROM.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Yuan, Y., Bingner, R.L., Langendoen, E.J., Wells, R.R., Simon, A., Alonso, C.V. 2006. Determination of watershed sediment sources using USDA watershed and channel models. American Society for Agricultural Engineers. Paper No. 062048, St. Joseph, Michigan, 17 pp.
- Simon, A. 2006. Estimates of fine-sediment loadings to Lake Tahoe from channel and watershed sources. USDA-ARS National Sedimentation Laboratory Research Report No. 52. 59 pp.
- Gordon, L., Bennett, S.J., Bingner, R.L., Theurer, F., Alonso, C.V. 2006. REGEM: The revised ephemeral gully erosion model. In: Proceedings of the 8th Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conference, April 2-6 2006, Reno, Nevada. CDROM.
- Moore, D.S., Bingner, R.L., Theurer, F. 2006. ANNAGNPS: Accounting for snowpack, snowmelt, freezing and thawing of soil. In: Proceedings of the 8th Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conference, April 2-6, 2006, Reno, Nevada. CDROM.
- Bingner, R.L., Czajkowski, K., Palmer, M., Coss, J., Davis, S., Stafford, J., Widman, N., Theurer, F., Koltum, G., Richards, P., Friona, T. 2006. Upper Auglaize Watershed AGNPS Modeling Project Final Report. USDA-ARS National Sedimentation Laboratory Research Report. No. 51. 103 pp.
- Smith, C.K., Wren, D.G., Chambers, J.P. 2006. Estimation of particle sizes for a range of narrow size distributions of natural and suspended in water using multifrequency acoustic backscatter. In: Proceedings of the 8th Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conference, April 2-6, 2006, Reno, Nevada. CDROM.
- Kleinert, D.E., Wren, D.G., Smith, C.K., Chambers, J.P. 2006. Development of an acoustic suspended sediment monitoring system. In: Proceedings of the 8th Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conference, April 2-6, 2006, Reno, Nevada. CDROM.
- Leary, D., Hickey, C.J., Wren, D.G. 2006. Acoustic profiling of sediment accumulation in three small erosion control reservoirs in north Mississippi. In: Proceedings of the 8th Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conference, April 2-6, 2006, Reno, Nevada. CDROM.
|