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69th SWCS International Annual Conference “Making Waves in Conservation: Our Life on Land and Its Impact on Water” July 27-30, 2014 Lombard, IL
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Drainage Water Management Options And Strategies To Improve Water Quality
Alex [email protected]
703/660‐2366
Key Functions Altered Nitrogen Discharge
1. Increase Use of Synthetic Nitrogen
2. Shift From Forage and Small Grains to Large Grain Production
3. Altered Hydrology to Move Water Off Landscape Very Efficiently
Nitrogen Impaired Waters
Agricultural Drainage
(Jaynes and James 2008)
sMoveWater Of
How Water Moves Off Ag Lands
What Is Drainage Water Management?A series of practices that captures, collects or processes nutrients discharged from agricultural lands.
1. Drainage Water Management2. Saturated Buffers3. Bio Reactors4. Nutrient Treatment Wetlands5. Emerging Technologies
– Phosphorous Filters– Sub Surface Irrigation– Swarm Technology
Installation of Modern Drainage
Drainage Water Management
Seasonal Schedule
Winter Spring
Summer Fall
Fully Instrumented/Automated
ControlMeasureReport
Bio Reactor
Saturated Buffer
Top View
Side View
Phosphorus Filter
Swarm IntelligenceLinking multiple (potentially thousands) of structures to communicate and maximize desired outcomes.For example, water qualityflood reduction, agronomicproduction.Benefits are distributedthroughout the watershed.
Causes of Loss for Iowa Corn, 1948-2010
Causes of Loss for Iowa Soy, 1955-2010
Charts courtesy of Chad Hart, Managing Risk in Agriculture, Iowa State University, June 2013
Causes of Crop Loss
So What?
On Farm Benefits
1. DWM Increase Ag Production (5% ‐ 10%)2. DWM Decrease Nutrient Input (15%?)3. DWM Reduce Risk (25%?)4. DWM Reduce Water Input Needs (%?)5. Subsurface Irrigation Reduce Risk (66%)6. Bioreactor, Saturated Buffers, Phosphorous
Filters, Etc. Zero On Farm Benefits
So What #2?
Off Farm Benefits Of DWM1. Each practice performance highly reliable2. Each practice performance highly
quantifiable3. Each practice performance easily 3rd
party certified4. Each practice capital investment that will
operate for years5. Cost – out perform other nutrient
strategies
Ecosystem Service Trading
Direct Costs (Excludes On Farm Benefits)Retrofit DWM 0.50 – 0.70/lbNNew DWM 0.37 ‐ 3.01/lbN* (*includes new tile)BioReactor 1.08 – 33.37/lbNWetland 2.96 – 11.78/lbNSaturated Buffers 0.99/lbNCover Crops 5.02‐ 64.90/lbN
Municipal WastewaterMunicipal Stormwater
100.00 – 1000.00/lbN90.0 – 944.0/lbN
DWM assumes 20 year life cycleBioreactors assumes 20 year life cycleSaturated Buffers assumes 20 year life cycleWetland Assumes 25 year life cycleCover Crops assumes annual cycle
Conclusions1. No Magic Bullet ‐ Need a Systems Approach2. Need to recognize the variability of agriculture3. Practices that produce significant on site benefits require less
outside support4. Practices that are…
a. easily quantified environmental performanceb. highly reliablec. easily third party certifiedd. have clear property rights…are more readily accepted to ecosystem service markets
5. We can no longer rely on “Farm Bill” incentives alone but must find additional funding sources
6. DWM practices are among the most attractiveconservation management actions to enter intoecosystem service markets
When land does well for its owner, and the owner does well by his land;
When both end up better by reason of their partnership, we have conservation.
When one or the other grows poorer, we do not.
- Aldo LeopoldThe Farmer as Conservationist
1939
Drainage Water Management Options And Strategies To Improve Water Quality
Alex [email protected]
703/660‐2366
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