scholarly journals Efficiency and Equity Aspects of Nonpoint Source Pollution Controls

1982 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stan R. Spurlock ◽  
Ivery D. Clifton
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Pollution Control ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Cropping Systems ◽  
Pollution Abatement ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Federal Water Pollution Control

Achieving water quality goals will necessitate adoption of best management practices (BMP's) by some or all farmers. Water quality is expected to improve as farmers adopt BMP's such as conservation cropping systems, structural measures, and conservation tillage methods. Currently, there is an absence of pollution abatement incentives strong enough to induce farmers to abate sediment, nutrients, and pesticides to desirable social levels. Although a specific socially optimal level of pollutants may be difficult (or impossible) to quantify, the U.S. Congress, by passing the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 (P. L. 92-500), has demonstrated the need for improvements in water quality.

scholarly journals Agricultural Best Management Practice Sensitivity to Changing Air Temperature and Precipitation

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 1021-1033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle L. Schmidt ◽  
Saumya Sarkar ◽  
Jonathan B. Butcher ◽  
Thomas E. Johnson ◽  
Susan H. Julius
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Cover Crops ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Drainage Water ◽  
Pollutant Removal ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation

Abstract.Agricultural best management practices (BMPs) reduce nonpoint-source pollution from cropland. Goals for BMP adoption and expected pollutant load reductions are often specified in water quality management plans to protect and restore waterbodies; however, estimates of the needed load reductions and pollutant removal performance of BMPs are generally based on historic climate. Increasing air temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns and intensity are anticipated throughout the U.S. over the 21st century. The effects of such changes on agricultural pollutant loads have been addressed by several studies, but how these changes will affect the performance of widely promoted BMPs has received limited attention. We used the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to investigate potential changes in the effectiveness of conservation tillage, no-till, vegetated filter strips, grassed waterways, nutrient management, winter cover crops, and drainage water management practices under potential future temperature and precipitation patterns. We simulated two agricultural watersheds in the Minnesota Corn Belt and the Georgia Coastal Plain with different hydroclimatic settings under recent conditions (1950-2005) and multiple potential future mid-century (2030-2059) and late-century (2070-2099) climate scenarios. Results suggest future increases in agricultural source loads of sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorous. Most BMPs continue to reduce loads, but removal efficiencies generally decline due to more intense runoff events, biological responses to changes in soil moisture and temperature, and exacerbated upland loading. The coupled effects of higher upland loading and reduced BMP efficiencies suggest that wider adoption, resizing, and/or combining practices may be needed in the future to meet water quality goals for agricultural lands. Keywords: Agricultural management, Best management practices, Climate change, Conservation tillage, Cover crops, Drainage water management, Hydrologic and water quality modeling, Nutrient management, Pollutant removal efficiency, Soil conservation, Vegetated buffer

A Survey of Nursery Water Quality Best Management Practices

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 501e-502
Author(s):  
Cody J. White ◽  
Michael A. Schnelle ◽  
Gerrit W. Cuperus
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Plant Materials ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Employee Safety ◽  
Current Water ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
Environmentally Sound

A survey was designed to assess high-risk areas with respect to environmental contamination, specifically how it relates to water quality. Oklahoma growers of all economic levels, retail and/or wholesale, were queried at their place of business for their current state of implementing best management practices (BMPs) and other strategic actions that could potentially affect current and future water quality standards. Specific areas such as the physical environment of the nursery, primary pesticides and fertilizers used, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices, and employee safety training were covered as well as other aspects germane to preserving and protecting current water quality and related environmental issues. More than 75 nurseries were surveyed and given the opportunity to participate in future training at Oklahoma State Univ. Results indicated that nurseries have not fully implemented many BMPs, but have adopted fundamental IPM approaches. The stage is set for the implementation of the next phase of expansion and refinement into ecologically based programs such as propagation and sale of low pesticide input plant materials, improved cultural practices, and the integration of environmentally sound management approaches. As an example, many growers are in the process of phasing out calendar-based pesticide application programs in favor of aesthetic and/or economic threshold-driven pesticide spray programs.

Long-term Water Quality Trends after Implementing Best Management Practices in South Florida

2009 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 1683-1693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samira H. Daroub ◽  
Timothy A. Lang ◽  
Orlando A. Diaz ◽  
Sabine Grunwald
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
South Florida ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Water Quality Trends

scholarly journals Using Video Messages to Promote Residential Adoption of Fertilizer Best Management Practices

EDIS ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda D. Ali ◽  
Laura A. Sanagorski Warner ◽  
Peyton Beattie ◽  
Alexa J. Lamm ◽  
Joy N. Rumble
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Diffusion Of Innovations ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Relative Advantage ◽  
Water Quantity ◽  
Extension Programs ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Homeowner Associations ◽  
Quality Water

Residents are inclined to over-irrigate and over-fertilize their lawns to uphold landscape appearances influenced by homeowner associations and neighborhood aesthetics (Nielson & Smith (2005). While these practices affect water quantity and quality, water quality is most impacted by fertilizer runoff (Nielson & Smith, 2005; Toor et al., 2017). Supporting water programs and engagement in fertilizer best management practices (BMPs) can have positive impacts on water quality. The Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory can be used to explain how a population accepts and adopts fertilizer best management practices (BMPs) over time (Rogers, 2003). Adoption can be understood through a population's perception of relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, observability, and trialability of fertilizer BMPs. The information presented here is an exploration of how extension can use video messages to influence residents' perception of these factors which influence adoption. The videos positively influence residents' perceptions of fertilizer BMPs, and recommendations are offered for applying this research to extension programs. 

scholarly journals Benefits and Costs of Forestry Best Management Practices in Virginia

1996 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. M. Aust ◽  
R. M. Shaffer ◽  
J. A. Burger
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Water Quality Protection ◽  
Program Compliance ◽  
Plain Region ◽  
Benefits And Costs

Abstract Benefits and costs of Virginia's forestry best management practices (BMPs) were estimated for the Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain regions using three actual nonregulatory phases and one theoretical regulatory phase of forest water quality protection. The four phases ranged from passive, nonregulatory to regulatory BMPs with increasingly restrictive provisions. As the level of regulation increased, the benefit:cost ratio decreased, indicating that costs were accruing at a proportionately greater rate than benefits. This pattern was most pronounced in the Coastal Plain region where average erosion rates were low, and substantial acreages were harvested. Results suggested that an aggressive, nonregulatory BMP program is the most efficient approach to forest water quality protection assuming that overall program compliance levels are sufficient to satisfy society's needs. South. J. Appl. For 20(1):23-29.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document