# Presentation: 693790

## North Appalachian Experimental Watershed

**North Appalachian Experimental Watershed**
- Coshocton, Ohio
*An outdoor laboratory for land and water management research*

## North Appalachian Experimental Watershed (NAEW)

- 1050-ac outdoor laboratory located near Coshocton, Ohio
- Operated by the USDA-Agricultural Research Service since ~1935
- Strong collaboration with OSU

*Overall mission:*
- Evaluate the effectiveness of innovative land-management practices to control runoff and water quality

## The NAEW Infrastructure Includes:

**Networks of ...**
** ****Large lysimeters (11)**
** ****Instrumented watersheds (20+)**
** ****Rain gauges (15+)**
** ****Springs (~5)**
** ****Wells (~40)**
** ****Meteorological stations (2)**

*H flume and Coshocton wheel for*
*surface water runoff measurement*

*Instrumented watershed for runoff studies*

## Urbanization 

_***Urbanization***_** **
-  Changes in runoff production and rain water infiltration when agricultural areas are disturbed due to increasing imperviousness caused by urbanization.

## Land Application of 

_***Land Application of ***_
***               ***_***Paper Mill Byproducts***_
- Determination of allowable rates of paper mill byproducts to control erosion on surface mine lands
- Collaboration with paper-mill industry, Ohio EPA, and a mining company

*Coshocton wheel sampler at base of runoff plot*

## Macropores – Conservation Tillage / Liquid Manure

** **Identification of preferred pathways of rainwater and liquid manure movement into tile line drains
-  Conservation tillage research
-  Effect of macropores to transport contaminants, increase infiltration, and reduce runoff

*Smoke injected into a drain tile emitting from worm burrows on the surface*

## Carbon Sequestration 

*Comparison of dark no-till soil with lighter conventionally plowed soil*

_***Carbon Sequestration***_
- Quantification of the effects of agricultural management practices on carbon sequestration
- Higher organic carbon levels
- increase water-holding
- capacity, and reduce runoff
- and erosion.
- Potential for farm revenue
- through carbon trading

## Hydrological Instrumentation

*Drop-box weir measuring flow from an urbanization study watershed*

_***Hydrological Instrumentation***_
- Development and adaptation of instruments:
-  Drop-box weir for accurate sediment-
-  laden  flow measurement (e.g.,
-  urbanization, surface mines, etc.)
-  Samplers for sampling
-   agricultural runoff

## Winter Application of Manure on 

***                                     ***_***Frozen Ground***_
-  Development of guidelines for rate and placement of   manure on frozen soils

*Manure applied on snow-covered ground*

*Manure runoff plot*

## Management Intensive Grazing

_***Management Intensive Grazing***_
-  Research into the environmental, animal, and forage components of intensive verses rotational grazing
-  Collaborators include private producers, Small Farm Institute, OSU/OARDC

-  30 years of previous grazing research at the NAEW

## North Appalachian Experimental Watershed

**GOALS:**
- We know we have a ***national treasure***
- One of only ~10 facilities like this in the US, and not many in the world
- We have not done a good job at outreach
- Develop ideas to make the NAEW more visible
- Expand stakeholder base

## North Appalachian Experimental Watershed

**GOALS:**
- Develop stronger ties to existing stakeholders
- Improve ways to communicate the relevance of our research results to a broader, nontechnical audience
- Emphasize economic benefits of our work to stakeholders
- Improve web site, brochures, exhibits, etc.

## North Appalachian Experimental WatershedCoshocton, Ohio

- Additional Information
- James V. Bonta, PhD, PE, PH
- Research Leader
- Hydraulic Engineer
- _[jim.bonta@ars.usda.gov](mailto:jim.bonta@ars.usda.gov)_
- Two fact sheets (and this slide show) available at:
- 		_[www.ars.usda.gov/coshocton](http://www.ars.usda.gov/coshocton)_
- Facilities
- Research