Source: OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
QUANTIFICATION OF BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICE EFFECTIVENESS FOR WATER QUALITY PROTECTION AT THE WATERSHED SCALE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1019436
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
S-1063
Project Start Date
May 15, 2019
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2019
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
STILLWATER,OK 74078
Performing Department
Plant & Soil Sciences
Non Technical Summary
JustificationIn Oklahoma, 676 waterbodies (rivers, streams, and lakes) do not meet water quality standards and are designated as impaired. Turbidity and issues related to excessive nutrient loading are the cause of 69% of lake impairment, while bacteria, sediment, and excessive nutrient loading are responsible for 60% of stream and river impairment.Nonpoint source pollution is the leading cause of pollution in the U.S. This is even more pronounced in Oklahoma where less than 5% of the source of river and stream impairments are attributed to wastewater plants (ODEQ, 2014). In comparison, 30% of stream and river impairment is attributed to grazing and wildlife.Differing land uses and land covers can positively or negatively influence loading impacts, but the manner in which the landscape changes water quality is not clearly understood. Furthermore, a better understanding of loadings from wildlife and grazing lands is needed to help better address water quality impairments. A sound scientific understanding of fundamental processes impacting fecal indicator bacteria in the environment will substantially reduce uncertainty associated with bacterial transport assessment and modeling and improve the management and regulation of bacterial contamination (Harmel et al. 2010).Previous work and present outlookScarcity of background loading data - Background loadings must be considered when conducting water quality assessment and implementation efforts (Wagner et al. 2012). Most existing water quality modeling efforts, TMDL projects, and other watershed assessment and planning efforts do not take background E. coli levels into account. However, because background concentrations have been found to be a significant component of total E. coli in runoff (Guzman et al. 2010, Collins et al. 2005, Wagner et al. 2012), especially as time lag between fecal deposition by livestock (i.e. grazing event or manure or litter spreading) and runoff event increases, this source should be considered as a separate source when allocating loads and assessing load reductions.Characterization of wildlife animal contributions and other "background" input sources of microbial pollution are highly uncertain and data are scarce (Jeong et al. 2019). Prior work has demonstrated that background E. coli concentrations (i.e., those from wildlife and soilborne naturalized strains) are present at consequential levels. Median background E. coli concentrations in edge of field runoff from ungrazed grassland sites in Texas ranged from 3,500 to 5,500 colony forming units per 100 mL (Wagner et al. 2012), greatly exceeding water quality standards (126 cfu/100 mL). Furthermore, bacterial source tracking studies in Texas have similarly found that wildlife contributes from 23-65% and average 51% of bacteria in samples collected across the state (Hauck 2006; Di Giovanni et al. 2006; Casarez et al. 2007a, 2007b; Di Giovanni et al. 2009).Right time and expertise to address this issues - Through funding from USGS and NSF EPSCoR, ten small watersheds (three grasslands, three juniper encroached, three deciduous oak forest and one juniper forest) were installed. These provide opportunities to study nutrient, sediment, and bacteria runoff from a range of vegetation types and land uses.ObjectivesOur goal is to better characterize and understand background E. coli loadings. Our specific aims are to:Objective 1 - Quantify nutrient, E. coli, and sediment runoff concentrations and loadings from a variety of land uses and land coversHypothesis 1 - Concentrations and loadings will vary by land use/land coverHarmel et al. (2013) categorized 13 study watersheds in central Texas into cultivated, native prairie, grazed pasture, hayed pasture, and mixed land use. Based on their analysis, the impact of land use was readily apparent with mean and median E. coli concentrations increasing in the following order: cultivated < hayed pasture < native prairie < mixed land use < grazed pasture. We will further evaluate the impacts of land use and possible spatial difference by assessing E. coli runoff from three grasslands, three juniper encroached, three deciduous oak forest and one juniper forest sites. Furthermore, we will also assess nutrient and sediment concentrations and loadings to help better understand the background loadings of those constituents and their impact/relation to E. coli runoff.Objective 2 - Assess background loading from wildlife and other natural sourcesHypothesis 2 - Concentrations and loadings will increase with habitat complexityHarmel et al. (2013) further found that E. coli runoff concentrations and loadings followed a similar gradient to that of wildlife habitat and presumably wildlife abundance and biodiversity. Cultivated fields were found to produce lower E. coli concentrations in runoff than did hayed pasture or native prairie. Evaluation of grassland, juniper encroached grassland, and forested sites will provide greater insight into how wildlife habitat/abundance impact E. coli loadings.Objective 3 - Assess impacts of grazing and other management practices on runoff volume and pollutant concentrationsHypothesis 3 - Concentrations and loadings will increase with grazing intensityHarmel et al. (2013) found that watersheds with grazing cattle produced highest E. coli concentrations. Wagner et al. (2012) found that E. coli concentrations in runoff from rotationally grazed pastures were not significantly different than those from ungrazed hay pastures. Further evaluation of the effect of grazing will be conducted to provide greater insight on how grazing intensity and management impacts E. coli, nutrient, and sediment loading.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
1120210110034%
1120210200033%
1120210205033%
Goals / Objectives
Monitor water quality from a variety of watersheds with a range of conditions (e.g., differing landuse and associated implemented BMPs, varying geographic/geologic conditions),
Project Methods
Research siteThe proposed project will be a field-based experiment conducted at OSURRS; however, as funding and opportunity arise, additional sites representing other land uses will be integrated.OSURRS is about 11 km southwest of Stillwater, OK. The mean annual precipitation averages 900 mm and the mean annual potential evapotranspiration averages 1400 mm for this site (Wine and Zou, 2012). Prescribed fire with a three-year return interval was introduced to portions of the research area beginning in 1983 as a management treatment whereas other areas were excluded from fire. The entire area has been in the same grazing unit with moderate stocking by beef cattle since 2006. Based on plot-level surveys in 2011, the grass watersheds have only a few or no trees while the encroached watersheds have about 75% woody canopy cover, primarily by junipers. Herbaceous vegetation is dominated by warm-season C4 grasses including little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). Watersheds have well-drained, moderately deep soils consisting predominately of the Stephenville-Darnell complex, Grainola-Lucien complex, and Coyle soil series.MethodsAs recommended by Harmel et al. (2006b), flow-weighted composite edge-of-field runoff samples will be collected using ISCO 6712 (ISCO, Inc., Lincoln, Neb.) full-size portable samplers with single-bottle configuration into surface-disinfected polyethylene 15 L round bottles. Flow from each watershed site will be measured with ISCO 730 bubble flowmeters. Flow data will be downloaded at least monthly using an ISCO 581 Rapid Transfer Device. All sites are equipped with flumes. All ISCO samplers will be programmed to rinse the sample tubing with ambient water prior to collection of each sample. Water samples will be retrieved from the ISCO samplers within 24 h of initiation of the event and transported on ice to the lab, where they will be analyzed for E. coli, turbidity, nutrients, sediment, and other constituents. Precision will be assessed as outlined in Standard Methods, section 9020 B.8.b (APHA, 1998), and samples not meeting precision criteria will not be included in analysis. Management of each watershed will be meticulously tracked and integrated with data on wildlife habitat and populations to assess the data.

Progress 05/15/19 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience: Nothing Reported 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? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?I plan to work with the multi-state team to develop the next Multi-State proposal to continue and expand the work this group is doing. Here at OSU, we will hire the graduate research assistant in early 2020, update existing edge-of-field monitoring equipment, and begin monitoring edge-of-field runoff from 10 small watershed sites. We will continue to publish previous related research. Additionally, we will present on this and previous related work to a variety of audiences including the Oka Institute Sustainability Conference, the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association, and the Oklahoma Clean Lakes and Watersheds Association. Finally, we are hopeful that our NSF proposal is funded and we can launch research efforts associated with that project this summer.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? My involvement in this project was formally initiated on May 15, 2019; however, I have informally participated in the project since 2017 in the place of Dr. Dan Storm who retired in 2017. I requested to formally join this project, despite it being in its last year, in the hopes of being able to help draft the next proposal to continue the great work of this project. Due to scheduling conflicts, I was not able to join the annual meeting this year at the University of Rhode Island. However, I stand ready to assist in developing the next proposal. Despite my late start, I have been able to make progress in initiating efforts to monitor water quality from a variety of watersheds with a range of conditions. Efforts between May-September 2019 included the following: Secured funding from the Thomas E. Berry Professorship in Integrated Water Research and Management to support a graduate research assistant position and water quality analysis. Worked with the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management faculty to develop and advertise the graduate research assistant position which will conduct edge-of-field water quality monitoring. Worked with the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management faculty to submit a proposal to NSF titled "Socially Sustainable Solutions for Water, Carbon, and Infrastructure Resilience in Oklahoma" which would support developing a land/water observatory to improve our "Understanding and Managing Terrestrial Carbon and Water Dynamics in Oklahoma" These efforts will position our project to successfully 1) quantify nutrient, E. coli, and sediment runoff concentrations andloadings from a variety of land use, 2) assess background loading from wildlife and other natural sources, and 3) assessimpacts of grazing and other management practices on runoff volume and pollutant concentrations.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Gregory, L., D. Harmel, R. Karthikeyan, K. Wagner, T. Gentry, J. Aitkenhead-Peterson. 2019. Elucidating the Effects of Land Cover and Usage on Background E. coli Sources in Edge-of-Field Runoff. Journal of Environmental Quality doi:10.2134/jeq2019.02.0051
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Gregory, L., A. Gitter, S. Muela, K. Wagner. 2019. Should Contact Recreation Water Quality Standards be Consistent Across Hydrological Extremes? J. Contemporary Water Research and Education 166(1):12-23.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Jeong, J., K. Wagner, J. Flores, T. Cawthon, Y. Her, H. Yen, J. Osorio. 2019. Linking watershed modeling and bacterial source tracking to better assess E. coli sources. Science of the Total Environment 648:164-175.