The management of Ohio's agricultural drainage waters has important consequences for agricultural productivity and profitability, and for environmental quality. The focus of most current work in Ohio is water table management, a package of management practices and strategies that can be used by agricultural producers and land managers to manage drainage waters.
Educational efforts focus on balancing production and environmental goals.
Numerous researchers and agencies are actively involved in water table management research and demonstration throughout the State. Studies of subsurface drainage and water table management have demonstrated significant gains in crop yield with these practices. Solute transport through drainage systems to surface water is also affected by water table management. New technologies that manage the loss of agrichemicals are being tested. In particular, subirrigation of crops through subsurface drainage systems is under study for its effect on crop yield and agrichemical fate and transport.