# Presentation: 188842

## Contaminant Source and 

**Watershed Characterization **
**Data Needs**
- Gregory McIsaac, Robert Howarth, and Richard B. Alexander
- Univ. of Illinois       Cornell Univ. 		USGS
- SPARROW Workshop
- October 29, 2002

## Contaminant source and watershed data 

** ****needed for effective water quality modeling**
**Contaminant Sources**
- 	Point source discharges
- 	Non-point sources
- 			Atmospheric deposition
- 			Erosion, fertilizers and pesticides
- 			Livestock wastes
- 			Biological N fixation
**Watershed Characteristics**
- 		Land cover and management practices
- 		Topography
- 		Soils
- 		Precipitation
- 		Hydrology: surface and sub-surface discharges
- 		Hydraulics: flow paths and residence times

## Integrating Databases

- Various efforts underway
- USGS:  SARROW model
- USDA-NRCS  EPIC modeling with NRI and Census of Ag Data
- USDA-ARS:  SWAT model
- CENR effort for the Mississippi River Basin (Goolsby et al)
- USDA-ARS:  Miss. R. Basin N budgeting by Burkart and James.

## NRI Data Modeled with EPIC: Change in average Labile P in  Runoff 1992-97 due to Changes in Crop Mix, manure not considered(by Atwood, Kellogg, Lemunyon, Potter and Pitts USDA-NRCS and TX Ag Exp. Station)

## N inputs – N outputs by Basin for 1992

- (Burkart and James, 1999)

## 1980-96 Average Annual Total N inputs:  Fertilizer, Fixation, Manure, Atmospheric, Deposition, Cropland Soil Mineralization  (Goolsby and Battaglin, 2000) 

- 1980-96 Average Annual Total N inputs:  Fertilizer, Fixation, Manure, Atmospheric, Deposition, Cropland Soil Mineralization  (Goolsby and Battaglin, 2000)

## Proposed National Nutrient Accounting System 

- Interagency effort to compile nutrient input and output estimates on a consistent national basis for:
- 	model evaluation and comparison
- 	targeting monitoring and research
- 	guide conservation efforts

## Contaminant source and watershed data 

** ****needed for effective water quality modeling**
**Contaminant Sources**
- 	Point source discharges
- 	Non-point sources
- 			Atmospheric deposition
- 			Erosion, fertilizers and pesticides
- 			Livestock wastes
- 			Biological N fixation
**Watershed Characteristics**
- 		Land cover and management practices
- 		Topography
- 		Soils
- 		Precipitation
- 		Hydrology: surface and sub-surface discharges
- 		Hydraulics: flow paths and residence times

## Point Source Discharges

- 	EPA National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
- 	(NPDES)
- 	Designed for avoiding problems caused by point
- 	discharges,
- 	 not designed for monitoring of actual loads discharged

## Non-Point Sources: Atmospheric Deposition

- _Non-Point Sources: Atmospheric Deposition_
- _Wet deposition_ 				_Dry Deposition_
- National Atmospheric 			Clean Air Status and
- Deposition Program 			Trends Network
- (NADP) 					(CASTNET)
-  Current Monitoring Locations

- CASTNET

**Notes:**
Both networks are oriented toward rural, inland sites 
to assess regional patterns.  

They miss some local urban influences and near-shore deposition
. 
P deposition?  May be a locally important due to aoelean transport

## Non-point sources: Fertilizers 

- Sales and Survey data

## Non-point sources: Fertilizer 

- Sales data by state
- 	Assoc. of Am. Plant Food Control Officials (AAPFCO)
- 	County level sales for some states
- 	County level estimates of sales developed by USGS

- Estimated N fertilizer use per county for the 1991 crop year
- (Battaglin and Goolsby, 1994)

**Notes:**
Sales do not specify the crop or location or timing of use

## Non-point sources: Fertilizer 

-  Survey data
- USDA-ERS annual surveys for major crops in states where
- production is concentrated
- Surveys are costly and sampling is often sufficient for state
- level aggregation only
- Until recently, information on recommended
- levels of fertilizer application or timing of application
- were not collected.

**Notes:**
There is a need to compare survey and sales data.

More detail on management practices is needed, but obtaining it at high spatial resolution is difficult because of cost and confidentiality concerns.

## Non-point sources: Pesticides

- _Non-point sources: Pesticides_
- 	USDA annual surveys by crop and state
- 	National Center for Food and Agriculture Policy
- 		 compilations of national and state data
- 	 Census of Agriculture expenditures on agri-chemicals
- 	USGS county level estimates

## Non-point sources: Livestock Wastes

- Annual state and county livestock inventory and production estimates statistics from USDA-NASS
- More extensive data collection from the Census of Agriculture
- every 5 years.
- Waste volume and nutrient content are estimated from generalized relationships for species and age classes.
- Recent experiments indicate that waste characteristics can vary considerably with diet.
- Impacts on water quality will depend on animal and manure handling practices and proximity to water bodies.

**Notes:**
Census returns are aggregated by ZIP code, township and county of residence of the person completing the survey, which does not always correspond to the county in which the livestock are located. 

## Robert L. Kellogg, 2000, based on Census of Agriculture

## Land cover 

- _Land cover _
- 	National Land Cover Data (NLCD)
- 	From Schwarz, USGS, 2001

**Notes:**
Different classifications used by different states and agencies
	Need methods that distinguish annual crops (corn, soy, wheat, etc) from hay and pasture

USDA-National Resource Inventory
Survey of a sampling of fields every 5 years to estimate soil erosion

USDA Census of Agriculture
Anonymous surveys, precise location cannot be reconstructed
Returns aggregated by ZIP code and county of residence of the person completing the survey, which does not always correspond to the county in which land cover is located. 

## Land cover 

- Satellite Imagery:
- 	there are some errors in classification
- 	difficulties distinguishing annually planted crops from hay 			and pasture
- USDA-National Resource Inventory
- Survey of a sampling of fields every 5 years to estimate soil erosion
- USDA Census of Agriculture
- Anonymous surveys, precise location cannot be reconstructed

**Notes:**
USDA Census of Agriculture
Anonymous surveys, precise location cannot be reconstructed
Returns aggregated by ZIP code and county of residence of the person completing the survey, which does not always correspond to the county in which land cover is located. 

## Topography

- 	USGS DEMs at 30 m resolution available for most of USA
- 	10 m resolution in progress in some locations.
- 	May still be too coarse for flat regions in portions of 	Illinois, Ohio & Michigan where tile drainage is common.
_**Soils**_
- 	Soil Survey
- 	STATSGO  ~1 km resolution
- 		Finer resolution data are available, but not yet 			in digital form for most locations

## Hydrology: discharge

- 	Daily and 15 minute discharge from USGS gauges
- 	High quality data.
- 	Mostly large basins where there are multiple influences.
- 	Few stations in coastal areas.

## Hydrology: flow paths and residence times

- EPA and USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD)

**Notes:**
1:100,000 scale, but designed to accommodate higher resolution
Existing flow network data needs corrections
Inconsistent coverage of wetlands, lakes and reservoirs
Need to have correct and consistent coverage of stream density, flow, time of travel and integrate information on National Inventory of Dams (NID) from US ACE.

	Does not address tile drainage, which can significantly influence nitrate transport to streams; methods for locating tile are being developed

## Hydrology: flow paths and residence times

- EPA and USGS National Hydrography Data (NHD)
- 1:100,000 scale, designed to accommodate higher resolution
- Existing flow network data needs corrections
- Inconsistent coverage of wetlands, lakes and reservoirs
- Need to have correct and consistent coverage of stream density, flow, time of travel and integrate information on National Inventory of Dams (NID) from US ACE.
- 	Does not address tile drainage, which can significantly influence nitrate transport to streams.

## US ACE National Inventory of Dams (NID)

- >70,000 Reservoirs, Lakes, Ponds

## Effect of Tile drainage on River N Flux in Illinois

**	****	****	****	****	****--------(kg N/ha-yr)-------**
- East Central IL  extensive			27		24
- Southern IL	   minimal			23		  9

**Effect of Tile drainage on River N Flux in Illinois**

## Infrared aerial photograph

- east Central IL, prior to
- crop emergence and
- after significant precipitation

- Inferred location of
- tile drains

- From Zucker and Brown, 1998

## Summary 

- Much data is available but there is always room for improvement

## Summary 

- Much data is available but there is a continual need  for improvement
- Highest priority needs in our opinions:
- 	Point source loads
- 	Refined NHD
- 	Atmospheric Deposition in Urban and Coastal Regions
- 	Finer resolution of fertilizer use in agricultural regions
- 	Tile drainage and finer resolution topography in flat areas
- 	CAFOs and animal waste handling practices
- 	Higher frequency, nationally consistent land cover that can 			distinguish between row crops and pasture
- 	Institutional cooperation for integrating, improving and 			interpreting data

## Thank You.