1. PSWMRU Town Brook/Cannonsville Reservoir Watersheds – A CEAP-WAS contribution Bil Gburek and friends Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit USDA-ARS University Park, PA CEAP-WAS Workshop Irving, TX; March 2005

2. PSWMRU New York City water supply watersheds  1,969 mi 2  8 million people  1.3 billion gal daily  2 main reservoir systems east of Hudson – minimal ag problems east of Hudson – minimal ag problems west of Hudson – west of Hudson –  forest and dairy agriculture  P-related problems  manure use/ ” disposal ”

3. PSWMRU West-of-Hudson watersheds Cannonsville Reservoir problems Phosphorus loss from dairy agriculture negatively impacts eutrophic status of reservoir Erosion from corn land use and related P transport, previously unaddressed in whole-farm planning process, becoming of concern Sustainability and economic viability of farm community affected by P management measures

4. PSWMRU CEAP-WAS BMP implementation and evaluation typically at field scale... while management is at whole-farm scale... but water quantity and quality impacts are typically at watershed/basin scale

5. PSWMRU Research objectives – pre-CEAP origins  Client-driven WAC Del Cty SWCD NRCS WAC Del Cty SWCD NRCS NYC-DEP NYS-DEC EPA NYC-DEP NYS-DEC EPA Contributing research groups ARS (lead) Cornell University ARS (lead) Cornell University USGS NYC-DEP USGS NYC-DEP NYS-DEC NYS-DEC

6. PSWMRU Research objectives – pre-CEAP origins  Quantify P loss from dairy agriculture at field, farm, and watershed scales  Evaluate efficacy of BMPs, individually and in combination  Evaluate effectiveness of current BMP strategy in reducing P loss  Develop new and/or improved strategies for BMP selection and siting  Maintain sustainability and economic viability of farms

7. PSWMRU Monitoring data available Cannonsville Watershed – 354 mi 2 NYS-DEP since 1991 flow; lowflow and event-scale sediment and P species Town Brook outlet – 14.3 mi 2 USGS since 1997 flow; lowflow and event-scale sediment and P species forested sub-watershed R-farm – first-order “watershed” with phased BMP implementation NYS-DEP since 1991 flow; lowflow and event-scale sediment and P species

8. PSWMRU Research approach  Field  landscape  farm  small watershed – Town Brook Watershed focus representative of Cannonsville conditions representative of Cannonsville conditions evaluation of BMPs singly or in combination evaluation of BMPs singly or in combination farmers’ management decisions and BMPs can be tied directly to P loss to the stream farmers’ management decisions and BMPs can be tied directly to P loss to the stream  Modeling to extrapolate to Cannonsville scale farm-scale modeling – IFSM (enterprise costs) farm-scale modeling – IFSM (enterprise costs) watershed-scale modeling – SWAT watershed-scale modeling – SWAT  current levels of P loss  incorporate and evaluate effects of BMPs  optimization for BMP selection & placement

9. PSWMRU Anticipated products  Documented effectiveness of individual BMPs in reducing P loss – Catskill appropriate  Watershed modeling incorporating impacts of BMPs considering source, transport, and BMP intervention processes – national applicability  Methodology for effective and economic selection and siting of BMPs – national applicability

10. PSWMRU Progress  BMP effectiveness quantified (w/ pubs) streambank fencing streambank fencing cover crops cover crops grass filter strips/riparian buffers grass filter strips/riparian buffers P-sorbing materials P-sorbing materials  P source investigations (w/ pubs) soil P-runoff P relationships soil P-runoff P relationships  P transport investigations (w/ pubs) VSA characterization and impact VSA characterization and impact potential for subsurface transport potential for subsurface transport

11. PSWMRU Progress (cont’d)  BMP tool developed (JSWC)  Optimized BMPs at farm scale (ASAE)  Optimized BMPs at watershed scale (AWRA accepted)  Farm-scale BMPs – e.g., precision feeding and improved forage utilization to reduce P imbalance; environmental and economic impacts  Improved manure P model subroutines  Role of channel processes in watershed-scale P transport dynamics