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**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** IN 2010, THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY DEVELOPED THE LARGEST TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD GOALS IN ITS HISTORY TO REDUCE POLLUTION FROM NITROGEN, PHOSPHOROUS, AND SEDIMENT REACHING CHESAPEAKE BAY BY 2025. TO MEET THESE REDUCTION GOALS, BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPS) HAVE BEEN ADOPTED THROUGHOUT THE CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED. AGRICULTURAL BMPS PROMOTE SOIL CONSERVATION AND REDUCE NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION. SOME EXAMPLES INCLUDE COVER CROPS, NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PLANS, CONSERVATION TILLAGE, BUFFER STRIPS, ETC. URBAN BMPS, SUCH AS DETENTION PONDS AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, REDUCE STORMWATER RUNOFF AND POLLUTANTS TO MIMIC THE PRE-DEVELOPMENT LANDSCAPE. THESE TWO TYPES OF BMPS SOLVE DIFFERENT PROBLEMS. AGRICULTURAL AREAS CONTRIBUTE EXCESS NUTRIENTS TO THE WATERSHED THAT CAN IMPAIR WATER QUALITY WHILE URBAN AREAS HAVE A LARGER IMPACT ON HYDROLOGY THROUGH INCREASED RUNOFF.FUTURE CHALLENGES COULD REDUCE THE EFFICACY OF THESE BMPS TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY AND MEET TMDL GOALS. IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED, THE POPULATION COULD SURPASS 20 MILLION AND DEVELOPED LAND AREA IS PROJECTED TO INCREASE BY 48-59% BY 2030. THESE LAND USE CHANGES WILL LEAD TO CHANGES IN BMP ADOPTION. FURTHER, CLIMATE CHANGE HAS BEEN PREDICTED TO THREATEN WATER QUALITY THROUGH INCREASES IN TEMPERATURE AND MORE INTENSE FLUCTUATIONS OF FLOODING AND DROUGHT. THESE DRASTIC WEATHER PATTERNS WILL LEAD TO CHANGES IN BMP EFFECTIVENESS.THIS PROJECT INVESTIGATES WATER QUALITY OF INTEGRATED AGRICULTURAL AND URBAN WATERSHEDS USING BMPS UNDER CHANGING LAND USE AND CLIMATE CONDITIONS. THE SOIL WATER ASSESSMENT TOOL (SWAT) WILL BE USED TO MODEL PREDICTED NUTRIENT LOADING AND BMP EFFECTIVENESS IN MIXED URBAN-AGRICULTURAL WATERSHEDS. WHILE SCENARIOS DEVELOPED IN SWAT DO NOT FORECAST OR PREDICT THE FUTURE, THEY ARE USEFUL TO DECISION-MAKERS BY ANTICIPATING EXPECTED CHANGES AND PLANNING RESPONSES. ULTIMATELY, THIS RESEARCH AIMS TO ANSWER: SHOULD AGRICULTURAL OR URBAN BMPS TAKE PRIORITY TO MAXIMIZE REDUCTIONS OF FLOW/SEDIMENT/NUTRIENTS IN FUTURE MIXED WATERSHEDS UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE? THIS WHOLISTIC WATERSHED APPROACH WILL GUIDE WATERSHED MANAGERS TO EMPHASIZE ADOPTION OF THE MOST EFFICIENT BMPS THAT PROVIDE THE GREATEST WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT.?

$125,661FY2023National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA

University Of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc.

Investigators

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**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** IN 2010, THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY DEVELOPED THE LARGEST TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD GOALS IN ITS HISTORY TO REDUCE POLLUTION FROM NITROGEN, PHOSPHOROUS, AND SEDIMENT REACHING CHESAPEAKE BAY BY 2025. TO MEET THESE REDUCTION GOALS, BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPS) HAVE BEEN ADOPTED THROUGHOUT THE CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED. AGRICULTURAL BMPS PROMOTE SOIL CONSERVATION AND REDUCE NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION. SOME EXAMPLES INCLUDE COVER CROPS, NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PLANS, CONSERVATION TILLAGE, BUFFER STRIPS, ETC. URBAN BMPS, SUCH AS DETENTION PONDS AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, REDUCE STORMWATER RUNOFF AND POLLUTANTS TO MIMIC THE PRE-DEVELOPMENT LANDSCAPE. THESE TWO TYPES OF BMPS SOLVE DIFFERENT PROBLEMS. AGRICULTURAL AREAS CONTRIBUTE EXCESS NUTRIENTS TO THE WATERSHED THAT CAN IMPAIR WATER QUALITY WHILE URBAN AREAS HAVE A LARGER IMPACT ON HYDROLOGY THROUGH INCREASED RUNOFF.FUTURE CHALLENGES COULD REDUCE THE EFFICACY OF THESE BMPS TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY AND MEET TMDL GOALS. IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED, THE POPULATION COULD SURPASS 20 MILLION AND DEVELOPED LAND AREA IS PROJECTED TO INCREASE BY 48-59% BY 2030. THESE LAND USE CHANGES WILL LEAD TO CHANGES IN BMP ADOPTION. FURTHER, CLIMATE CHANGE HAS BEEN PREDICTED TO THREATEN WATER QUALITY THROUGH INCREASES IN TEMPERATURE AND MORE INTENSE FLUCTUATIONS OF FLOODING AND DROUGHT. THESE DRASTIC WEATHER PATTERNS WILL LEAD TO CHANGES IN BMP EFFECTIVENESS.THIS PROJECT INVESTIGATES WATER QUALITY OF INTEGRATED AGRICULTURAL AND URBAN WATERSHEDS USING BMPS UNDER CHANGING LAND USE AND CLIMATE CONDITIONS. THE SOIL WATER ASSESSMENT TOOL (SWAT) WILL BE USED TO MODEL PREDICTED NUTRIENT LOADING AND BMP EFFECTIVENESS IN MIXED URBAN-AGRICULTURAL WATERSHEDS. WHILE SCENARIOS DEVELOPED IN SWAT DO NOT FORECAST OR PREDICT THE FUTURE, THEY ARE USEFUL TO DECISION-MAKERS BY ANTICIPATING EXPECTED CHANGES AND PLANNING RESPONSES. ULTIMATELY, THIS RESEARCH AIMS TO ANSWER: SHOULD AGRICULTURAL OR URBAN BMPS TAKE PRIORITY TO MAXIMIZE REDUCTIONS OF FLOW/SEDIMENT/NUTRIENTS IN FUTURE MIXED WATERSHEDS UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE? THIS WHOLISTIC WATERSHED APPROACH WILL GUIDE WATERSHED MANAGERS TO EMPHASIZE ADOPTION OF THE MOST EFFICIENT BMPS THAT PROVIDE THE GREATEST WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT.? · GrantIndex