Best Management Practices Verification: Results from a Huron

County Watershed

A presentation to: National Farmers Union November 28, 2015

Mari Veliz

Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority, RR 3 Exeter, ON N0M 2G0

Communities in Action

Build Awareness

Take actions to protect and enhance

Measure Community Involvement

Water Quality Issues = Runoff Issues S

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Stormwater - Why Do We See Differences?

• The ephemeral channels are important to water, sediment and nutrient transport • There is an hierarchy of urban and agricultural BMPs to address storm events • To evaluate the effectiveness of BMPs we need to monitor during storm events

During an event Typical conditions

• Management BMPs: • Cover crop • Nutrient management • Conservation tillage

• Structural BMPs:

• Water and Sediment Control Basins

• (Grassed Filter Strip)

BMP Evaluation

Cover Crop Rainfall Simulation

Treatment Antecedent conditions

Runoff (mm)

Runoff (%)

Total Suspended

Solids (mg/L)

no cover cropA

workable 0.8 6.4 406

no cover cropB

wet 1.1 8.8 482

cover cropA workable 0 0 0 cover cropB wet 0.9 7.2 130 light cultivationC

very wet 3.6 28.8 2260

Treatment • on a field that was post no-till wheat harvest, straw baled with a portion that had red clover cover crop • 1 X 1m plots • simulationA: 12.5 mm/10 min simulates a 2 year10 minute storm • simulationB: 12.5 mm/10 min a 2nd time - 3 h later • simulationC: PLUS 12.5 mm/10 min a 3rd time - 0.5 h later

Field BMP Monitoring Water and Sediment Control Basin

Duration of most outflow ~9 h

Duration of most inflow <1.5 h

Linking Landscape and Water Quality

• Grass filter strip reduced: – TSS, TP, and SRP

– did not change nitrate-N

• Change in cropping system: – landowner extended hay

field

– no concentrated flow path

– no water samples

– some BMPs can be measured at the site scale and some cannot

1955 1966

1975 1978 1989

1999 2006

ACTion BMPs and the Treatment Train (Avoid, Control, Trap/Treat)

Urban BMPs

Trap Treat

Control (at/near source)

Avoid

(improve filtration)

Rural BMPs

No/Minimum Till

Cover Crops

Nutrient/manure

Management

Natural Cover

Less Pavement

Permeable

Pavement

Natural Cover

Controlled

Drainage

Grassed

Waterways

Berms

Wetlands

Rain Gardens

Rain Barrels

Bioswales

Stormwater Ponds

Buffers

Two-Stage

Ditches

Based on Tomer et al. 2013

Soil Health Recommendations

1. Cover soil (with vegetation not pavement)

2. Reduce tillage

3. Rotate crops

4. Test soil – Fertility

– Organic matter

– Erosion risk

Acknowledgements

• Other collaborators on the Watershed Based BMP Evaluation:

– University of Guelph

– Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

– Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change

– Huron County Federation of Agriculture

– Landowners in the Gully Creek watershed

Many of the photos by Daniel Holm Photography, courtesy of Healthy Lake Huron: Clean Water, Clean Beaches Initiative

Funding for the work presented today is from Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and Environment Canada. The views expressed are the views of the presenter and do not necessarily reflect those of the funders.

Temporal and Spatial Scale Considerations

• Measuring the effectiveness of this grassed ditch – Cannot be measured in the downstream channel or at watershed outlet or in the

Lake during routine water sampling