Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Link to Minutes page on Web site

Accomplishments Group: The committee was formed and held its first annual meeting on November 16-17, 2004, in coordination with the ADMSTF (Ag. Drainage Management Systems Task Force) meeting held at the same location on November 18-19, 2004. The committee members got acquainted and discussed many ideas for goals, activities, and future meetings. Individual Station Reports: IA- Iowa State University, submitted by Matt Helmers. Recent research and extension efforts at Iowa State University relative to drainage design and management practices to improve water quality have centered on nutrient export from tile drainage systems and nutrient management practices to minimize this export of nutrients, specifically nitrate-nitrogen. Work has shown that both swine manure and poultry manure can be an effective source of fertilizer for crop production and that losses of nutrients in subsurface flow are comparable to commercial fertilizer. Field investigations have also included investigating the impact of nitrogen rate, timing, and placement method on the export of nitrate-nitrogen through subsurface drainage systems. From this, higher application rates have resulted in higher nitrate-nitrogen concentrations. There has been little difference in the nitrate-nitrogen concentrations in subsurface drainage water for varying application methods or the timing of application. Extension efforts relative to this work have centered on educating stakeholders (producers, crop advisors, and policy makers) about the appropriate use of fertilizer relative to drainage water quality. Future work is beginning that will investigate the performance of drainage management practices in the upper Midwest. This includes field and modeling studies of the performance of these practices. These studies will examine drainage volumes and nutrient export. This work will also investigate integrating drainage management practices and nitrate removal wetlands. In addition, field investigations are beginning that will examine the impacts of cropping practices on nutrient export from tile drainage systems through the use of winter cover crops and perennial vegetation. Additionally, these investigations will continue to study the impacts of nitrogen rate and timing specifically examining lower nitrogen application rates and the impact of these management practices on crop yield and nutrient export. The research and extension efforts in the area of drainage water quality have had an impact in educating stakeholders about the environmental benefits of proper fertilizer application and that animal manure can serve as an effective fertilizer source while having comparable environmental impacts. IA- ARS National Soil Tilth Lab, Ames, submitted by Dan Jaynes With cooperation from the Great Plains Systems Research Unit in Ft. Collins, we modified the computer model RZWQM to include groundwater control on the tile outlets. This allows us to use this popular 1-D model to simulate the practice of controlled drainage. Model simulations using RZWQM will be compared to field data and to simulation data from the computer model DRAINMOD to gain better insights into the functioning of each model and better quantify their accuracy and applicability. Installation and initial testing of a controlled drainage infrastructure in a 60-acre farmers field was completed. This installation will be used to compare controlled drainage to shallow and conventional drainage for water quality and crop yield. IL- University of Illinois, submitted by Richard Cooke A new drainage outreach program was initiated in Illinois in 2004. It consisted of a series of six regional workshop covering soil water concepts, drainage law, nitrogen and phosphorus issues, drainage system design and layout, the use of new drainage technologies, drainage water management systems, and other drainage-related topics. Based on the success of this program it was decided to make it an annual activity. Work is continuing on the instrumentation of drainage water management structures. Based on the assumption that these structures function as specialized rectangular weirs rating curves were developed for 152 mm (6 inch) to 610 mm (24 inch) structures. The fitted discharge equations were Q=0.020(L-1.20H)H 1.5 and Q=0.021(L-0.0632H)H1.5, for 152 mm structures and 203 - 610 mm structures, respectively, where Q is the flow rate (L/s) L is the width of the structure (cm), and H is the depth of flow above the weir nappe (cm). The corresponding coefficients of determination were 0.993 and 0.967, respectively. These general discharge equations can be used to measure tile flow rates with relatively high accuracy and low expense. With funding from the NRCS and the ARS Soil Drainage Unit, five drainage water management research sites were established. Each site consists of a pair of equally-sized fields with one field operated in free drainage mode and the other in drainage water management mode. For the managed field, the riser boards are set to allow the water table to rise to within 6 inches of the soil surface during the period November to March. Flow rates from the outlets of both systems are measured at 15 minute intervals, and water samples are collected weekly and analyzed for nitrogen and phosphorus components. These data will be used to evaluate the performance of drainage water management systems in Illinois. IN- Purdue University, submitted by Eileen Kladivko and Jane Frankenberger The long-term tile drainage research site at the Southeastern Purdue Agricultural Center (SEPAC) has been used to study preferential flow of pesticides and chemical tracers as well as bulk movement of nitrates into tile drainage water. A combination of a winter cover crop, lower fertilizer N rate, and change in rotation and tillage system resulted in significant decreases in nitrate concentration and loads over the 15-year study. Drainflow and nitrate-N loads were greater with narrower drain spacing, especially in the years with high fertilizer N rates and no cover crop, which underscores that drainage design for water quality concerns often leads to different recommendations than drainage design for strictly crop production goals. The Water Quality Field Station in west-central Indiana has 48 drainage lysimeters with clay wall barriers separating plots and a tile drain in the center of each plot. The main focus of the site has been nitrate management for continuous corn or corn-soybean rotation. Liquid hog manure has been applied annually in either the fall or the spring starting in fall 1997. There has also been some work on pesticides, tracers, and pharmaceuticals on the site. A new project was begun in fall 2004 on drainage water management. The goal of this new research and extension project is to determine the yield, soil quality and other private benefits of drainage water management on corn and soybean cropping systems, and the impact of widespread adoption on nitrate loss at the watershed level. This goal will be achieved through a combination of paired field on-farm trials to measure private benefits and watershed modeling to determine nitrate reduction. We have installed drainage control structures and instrumentation at the Davis Purdue Ag Center and a private farm, and identified three other farms that will be instrumented. LA- ARS, Baton Rouge, submitted by Brandon Grigg Results show that without management to increase infiltration through the restrictive surface layer of southern alluvial soils, subsurface drainage does not mitigate surface runoff and associated soil and nutrient loss. As a result, we recommend that farmers of this region not use subsurface drainage systems, but rather modify cultural practices to increase infiltration and reduce surface runoff and associated soil and nutrient losses. Two potential methods of increasing infiltration of rainfall are under observation. The first is the use of routine deep tillage management when post-harvest residue production is minimal, such as with corn production or where burning of this residue is commonly practiced. The second practice, being evaluated in sugarcane production is in-field management of post-harvest sugarcane residue (approx. 8 tonnes/ha/year produced). Results from simulated rainfall studies indicate that in-field post-harvest residue management (as opposed to burning of residue) significantly reduces soil and nutrient loss associated with surface runoff. In support of the Agricultural Drainage Management Systems Task Force, we have also begun comparison of shallow-installed drainlines with controlled drainage at the same 0.6-m depth. Preliminary results indicate that, when coupled with routine deep tillage to increase infiltration, shallow drainlines double the drainage volume and loss of nutrients compared to controlled drainage management. This suggests that refitting existing conventionally installed subsurface drainlines with control structures may be preferable to new, shallow installation of subsurface drainlines. MD- University of Maryland, submitted by Ken Staver The role of drainage in delivering nutrients from cropland to surface waters has come under scrutiny in Maryland as a part of the effort initiated during the 1980s to reduce nutrient inputs to Chesapeake Bay. The majority of regional drainage systems are located in the concentrated grain and poultry producing regions on the Delmarva Peninsula, which lies within the Coastal Plain physiographic region of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The movement of nitrate through subsurface flow paths dominates total nitrogen losses from cropland in this region, and drainage systems are generally believed to enhance the delivery of nitrate into tidal waters. The majority of drainage enhancement in Maryland has been achieved with high density networks of surface drains that mostly were dug in mid 1900s, some quite a bit earlier. In most areas where drainage has been enhanced, grain production would not otherwise be possible. Until recently, research on nutrient transport from drained cropland has focused on rates and timing of nutrient applications for reducing nutrient entry into the drainage system. However, it has become apparent that additional measures will be needed to meet nutrient reduction goals and winter cereal cover crops have been added as a major component of the strategy to reduce subsurface nitrogen losses from cropland. Only recently has research been initiated on buffer systems, and management within the drainage system itself, for intercepting nutrients not captured by in-field strategies. Although water control structures and riparian buffers have been cost-shared in Maryland, very little information is available regarding the performance of these practices, and management approaches that maximize nutrient retention ability. Recently projects have been initiated on nutrient attenuation function of water control structures, the movement of phosphorus within drainage systems, and the ability of various native grasses used in riparian buffers to remove nitrate from shallow drainage. However, all of these projects are in early stages and no findings are available. MI- Michigan State University, submitted by Bill Northcutt An initial study was conducted to determine if liquid manure applied at traditional rates would rapidly move to drain depth via macropores under no-till and tilled soil conditions. The field had been in long-term (20+ years) no-till and had significant earthworm induced macropores. At the 7000 gallon per acre rate of application, no liquid manure discharge was detected in the drains. Additional higher application rates then caused manure discharge to occur. A new study was initiated in summer 2004, consisting of a constructed wetland/subirrigation system designed to treat and dispose of farmstead/silage pad runoff and daily milkhouse water. Runoff water and milkhouse water are put into the structure that is designed to contain a years worth of wastewater. During the growing season, wastewater flows from the structure to the constructed wetland. Water is then used in the subirrigation system or can be recycled back into the wastewater storage structure. Monitoring for the entire system, including groundwater, is being installed. MN- University of Minnesota, submitted by Gary Sands and Jeffrey Strock Drainage research continues to be a high priority in Minnesota. Eight to 10 faculty at the University of Minnesota and several State agencies are engaged in numerous projects addressing hydrology, water quality and production impacts of subsurface drainage practices. These projects encompass a multitude of scales, (plot to large watershed), and approaches (field, laboratory and computer modeling). Current research topics include (but are not limited to): scavenger crops for minimizing nitrate-N losses; shallow and controlled drainage for minimizing nitrate-N losses; pharmaceutical movement through drained soils; ecological approaches to drainage ditch design/management for water quality; use of remote sensing and vegetative indices to measure crop response to drainage; impacts of combinations of alternative drainage and other conservation practices; preferential flow theory and modeling; assessing the water quality and production impacts of alternative surface inlets, and; modeling soil responses to drainage. Field research is being conducted at four University of Minnesota Research and Outreach Centers (ROC) and cooperating farms and ditches: Southern, at Waseca (SROC); Southwest, at Lamberton (SWROC); North-Central, at Morris (NCROC), and; the Northwest, at Crookston (NWROC). The SWROC has been the site of numerous field experiments related to water, soil, and nutrient management practices to improve water quality. Two plot-scale research sites have been used to investigate nutrient source (e.g., fertilizer, manure) and rate, tillage method, cover cropping, and crop rotation impacts on the export of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment through surface and subsurface drainage systems. Recent field-scale research at the SWROC has focused on investigating the effect of conventional and organic farming practices on water quantity and quality and the potential implications for emerging Total Maximum Daily Loads. A new project was begun in autumn 2002 on open-ditch systems. The goal of this long-term research is to investigate how hydrologic regimes, biological systems, and land use management influence nitrogen and phosphorus processing, storage, and biological removal within open-ditch ecosystems. Field research at the SROC is investigating the efficacy of shallow drainage and controlled drainage to mitigate nitrate-nitrogen losses from drained lands. Data beginning in 2001 indicate that shallow and controlled drainage can reduce seasonal drainage volumes and nitrate-nitrogen losses from 15 to 25 percent, on an annual basis. Faculty at the WCROC are investigating the effectiveness of wood chip envelopes around drainage lines to mitigate nitrogen losses from dairy feedlot areas and working on relationships between animal agriculture and phosphorus losses on sloping, drained landscapes. Research at the NWROC has focused on soil (temperature and moisture content) and crop (wheat, soybean, and sugarbeet) responses to subsurface drainage in cold climates. MO- University of Missouri, submitted by Kelly Nelson Economic situations have caused several Missouri farmers to re-evaluate production systems that maximize yield and maintain environmental sustainability. Agricultural drainage is not a new concept; however, utilizing drainage as part of an integrated water management system (IWMS) is a relatively new concept that has been shown to improve water quality and sustain agricultural viability. Research was initiated in 2001 to determine the suitability of claypan soils for drainage and a drainage/subirrigation (DSI) water-table management system and evaluate the impact of the systems on corn and soybean grain yield at different drain tile spacings compared to non-drained claypan soil utilizing best management practices to reduce nutrient loss. Additional research was initiated in 2004 to evaluate the fate of polymer-coated and non-coated urea under different water management systems. This research is ongoing. In 2004, crop response to drain tile spacings was similar regardless of the drain tile spacing evaluated; subirrigation reduced water use and increased crop performance compared to overhead irrigation; and drainage systems utilizing an integrated water management system were planted fourteen days earlier than non-drained soils. Plans for evaluating flow rates and water quality were discussed following the meeting. NC- North Carolina State University, submitted by Wayne Skaggs Agricultural drainage is a primary source of excessive nitrogen (N) in surface waters leading to significant water quality problems in streams and estuaries in many locations around the world. Although there have only been a few field studies of the effect of drain depth and spacing on N loss to surface waters, the data that do exist indicate that N loss decreases with subsurface drainage spacing. Some simulation model studies agree with these trends, others do not. Published field data from Indiana and North Carolina were plotted as a function of drainage intensity, DI, which was defined as the steady state drainage rate when the water table at a point midway between the drains is coincident with the surface. Trends for NO3-N loss as a function of DI were similar for soils in the two states in spite of large differences in weather and soil conditions. These data indicated that the magnitude of NO3-N loss in drainage waters is strongly dependent on DI. Simulations were conducted to examine effects of drain depth, spacing and soil properties on processes that affect NO3-N loss from drained soils. The use of DI explained or normalized the effect of these variables on some of the processes but not others. Results showed that, in addition to its affect on DI, drain depth appears to have a direct impact on NO3-N losses. Data were collected from 8 drained plots on a field site planted to wheat and soybean in 2004. Data from this site are being used to test and further develop the DRAINMOD-NII model. The Phosphorus Loss Assessment Tool (PLAT) estimated surface runoff (RO) and total phosphorus (TP) losses that were lower than those measured in four cropped fields near Plymouth, NC. Underestimations by PLAT were due to transmissivities in the model database that were higher than actual values for the site. Field data were collected to determine the effect of drain depth on N and P loss to surface waters. Drains 0.75 m deep lost less N and more P than drains 1.5 m deep on a pastured, swine lagoon wastewater application site. PLAT correctly predicted TP loss for the deep (1.5 m) drains, but underestimated losses for the 0.75 m deep drains. Higher than predicted TP losses were likely due to preferential flow to the shallow drains; a process not considered in PLAT. Testing of the nitrogen simulation model, DRAINMOD-N II, using a 15-yr dataset from an artificially drained agricultural research site in southeastern Indiana is in the final stages; the data set was compiled, the model was calibrated for the site, and final testing is under way. This is the first of a series of planned field tests of the model for Midwest states. NY- Cornell University, submitted by Tammo Steenhuis and Larry Geohring Previous drainage research at the Cornell University Willsboro Farm evaluated the impact of fall application of 5000 gallons per acre of dairy liquid manure slurry on tile drain water quality. Two different experiments were done where the manure was surface applied at two different antecedent moisture conditions (tile flowing and not flowing), and where manure was immediately incorporated by disking and plowing. The breakthrough of fecal coliforms, dissolved phosphorus, and ammonia-nitrogen was rapid, especially where the tile was flowing, and was attributed to the existence of macropores. Although breakthrough concentrations were similar for the different antecedent moisture conditions, losses were greater from the wetter plots as a result of more drain flow. The plow incorporation of manure reduced concentrations in the drain discharge compared to disk incorporation, which reduced the total losses. Nitrate-nitrogen concentrations increased quickly following manure application, and remained high throughout the winter and spring. In another farm trial, ammonia-nitrogen losses increased quickly after fall manure application, and transitioned to increasing nitrate-nitrogen losses within 60 days. The ongoing work during 2004 is additional data analysis and summary of the experiments. Extension efforts during 2004 have focused on informing producers, agricultural consultants, and soil and water district personnel regarding the risk of contaminant losses when liquid manure is applied to drained lands. OH- Ohio State University No written report. OH- ARS Soil Drainage Research Unit, submitted by Norman Fausey The ARS Soil Drainage Research Unit at Columbus, Ohio has one replicated field plot study to compare conventional drainage, conservation (controlled) drainage, and subirrigation water management practices. A second plot study will be constructed in 2005 to examine drain spacing effects for conservation drainage. Three field scale drainage water recycling (capture, treat, store, reuse) systems on private farms are being monitored for hydrologic and water quality effects. Infrastructure (weirs and samplers) has been installed for watershed scale monitoring to determine water table management practice effects at the watershed scale. Other projects involve locating drainpipes using geophysical methods, managing surface inlets to subsurface drains, modeling drainage in watershed scale models, and development of flooding tolerant varieties of corn and soybean. Research staff: 2 agricultural engineers, 2 soil scientists (1 is a postdoc), 1 plant physiologist, and 1 ecologist. SD- South Dakota State University, submitted by Hal Werner The overall goal of the Alternative Conservation Practices project was to help develop environmentally friendly and economically feasible water management practices for agricultural waterways in Eastern South Dakota. The quantity and quality water discharges from agricultural waterways was monitored and results will be made available to develop recommendations for alternative practices. Monitoring equipment was installed on three waterways in 2001  one with a grassed waterway together with drain tile, one with drain tile but without grass, and one without tile or grass. Water quality samples were collected from tile discharge for the grass/tile waterway all three years. No runoff events were recorded in 2001. Runoff was measured on two of the watersheds in 2002 and 2003. Results indicate that practices such as grassed waterways and subsurface tile drainage can reduce surface runoff from small agricultural watersheds in Eastern South Dakota. Additional studies were completed using data collected under this project. One evaluated the runoff hydrology of small agricultural watersheds. The second used a water balance model to simulate corn yields for drained and undrained waterways. WI- University of Wisconsin, submitted by Sam Kung Field experiments were conducted in the Walworth County Farm in Elkhorn, Wisconsin where tile drain monitoring facility was used to examine the mass flux breakthrough patterns of conservative tracers under four different stead-state infiltration rates. Results showed that flow pathways in an unsaturated soil profile have a wide range of pore radii. When infiltration rate was low, only those pathways made of small soil matrix pores were active. Under this circumstance, mass flux breakthrough pattern can be accurately predicted by the conventional convection-dispersion equation. As infiltration rate gradually increased, more and more pathways with larger and larger pore radii become hydraulically active. Chemical transport through these pathways was mainly convective flow, similar to those through capillary tubes. Under this circumstance, soil hydraulic conductivity based on water movement cannot adequately describe solute transport and mass flux breakthrough pattern cannot be accurately predicted by the conventional convection-dispersion equation. Impact Statement: The pore size spectrum is one of the most important properties of soils. In order to quantify a soil's capacity to store and release water and nutrients, it is essential to characterize the smaller end of the soil pore spectrum. On the other hand, to predict infiltration, aeration, and deep leaching of chemicals it is essential to characterize the larger end of the soil pore spectrum. Nevertheless, no methodology has been developed to characterize the soil pore size spectrum, especially when macropore-type preferential flow pathways are activated. We developed a methodology to derive soil pore spectra by using mass flux breakthrough patterns of conservative tracers under four different stead-state infiltration rates. The derived pore spectra can be used to predict field-scale transport of contaminants, such as pesticides, pathogens, hormones, and antibiotics. The success of this methodology hinges on the tile drain monitoring facility, because a large field becomes a huge lysimeter where mass flux breakthrough patterns can be accurately measured. NRCS- submitted by Sheryl Kunickis, USDA-NRCS National Agricultural Research Coordinator The USDA- Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has developed a list of high priority research needs. One of the high priority research needs is titled Impacts of Subsurface Tile Drainage on Water Quality. The specific interests include studies, especially in production settings of: 1) Impacts of tile drainage on water quality, especially in areas of the Midwest where nitrogen and phosphorous are surface applied in liquid form in the fall. 2) Potential impacts of water table control on delivery of nitrogen and phosphorous to surface waters, especially in Midwest states. 3) Extent of tile drainage contributions of pathogens, nitrogen, and phosphorous to surface water resulting from land application of manure and wastewater under a variety of soils and soil moisture and climatic conditions. Potential Products/Deliverables of interest include: 1. Development and implementation of state of the art technology tools for drainage water management systems. 2. Tools to help grower cooperators shift from a mindset of removing water to one of managing water and to properly apply practices to manage drainage water. 3. Enhance technical assistance tools, i.e. DRAINMOD computer program, for application in the colder climates of the Midwest and to assure the capacity to simulate the nitrification process since a majority of the nitrogen fertilizer applied in the Midwest is applied prior to planting and in the ammonia form. 4. Develop a soils database to support the use of DRAINMOD. Scientists participating in NCR-207 have the expertise and ability to assist with helping to address this high priority research need. The NRCS looks forward to participating in an effort to address this high priority research need.