Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Two meetings were held during the first year of the project for organizational purposes and to develop proposals to secure support to accomplish the project objectives. The first organizational meeting was held March 13-14, 2002 at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas. The organizational meeting had 63 participants representing 45 different public and private organizations. The objective of the meeting was to further refine the project objectives and work plan, identify opportunities for collaborative activities, and to begin working on proposals to support the project activities.

The second S1004 project meeting was held September 8-10, 2002 in Snowbird, Utah. The meeting was attended by 43 people. The meeting consisted of two parts. The first day consisted of a workshop ABCs of TMDLs that was intended to bring committee members and guests up-to-date on TMDL rules and regulations and the technology used in TMDL development. The workshop was attended by 26 individuals. The second two days was a workshop during which participants developed proposals to support the project work. Preliminary proposals were developed on the following topics and proposal teams were assigned to continue proposal development after the meeting:
1. Assessment of model uncertainty due to the modeling ability of modelers. Will target novice users and expert users selected from graduate students currently enrolled in a modeling classes at various universities from across the country.
2. Assessment of strengths and limitations of models currently used for TMDL development. Model behavior needs to be reviewed in selected watersheds for selected parameters. Need to look at model calibration, model sensitivity, and model parameters to input data, as well as, probability of output data.
3. Assessment of models used for nutrient TMDLs with particular emphasis on in-stream processes.
4. Development and calibration of models related to microbial fate and transport. These would include fecal coliform, cryptosporidium, and E. coli. How these microbes interact in the environment needs also to be researched at both the lab and field scale.
5. Assessment of model uncertainty due to model limitations, user skills, parameter uncertainty, and how parameters can be used to assist in uncertainty investigations.
6. Case watershed study proposal to conduct three detailed case studies of different watershed models TMDL development ability. Current economics of loading allocation and the effect of future loading associated with population shifts and growth need to be investigating using current models. Work also needs to target contaminant management policies and effluent trading.
7. Assessment of the use of the reference watershed approach for TMDL development and implementation.
8. Cross-sectional study of how TMDLs are developed and implemented in different states.
9. Quantification of ecological services and how effluent trading may impact these services.
10. Identification of alternative biological/indicators of ecosystem health.

To date, one proposal has been submitted for funding to the USDA-CSREES NRI program. The proposal Assessment of TMDL Models is designed to critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of water quality and economic models commonly used for TMDL development in agricultural watersheds. The proposed work will provide environmental policy makers and program analysts with information needed to select the most appropriate TMDL model for a particular TMDL application. The project considers the ability of models to simulate specific pollutants and how water quality and economic models can be coupled and used to evaluate economic and social impacts of alternative TMDL implementation scenarios and policies. Proposal PIs include S1004 economists and engineers from Alabama A&M, Tarleton State University (Texas), Texas A&M, the Universities of Maryland and Minnesota and Virginia Tech.

Objective 1. Develop, improve, and evaluate watershed models and other approaches for TMDL development and implementation.

Missouri and Arkansas are developing cooperative 319 proposals to address nutrients concerns that may require TMDLs in the upper White River Basin and Table Rock Lake, in Southwest Missouri. Missouri is using and evaluating the SWAT model for development and implementation of a bacteria TMDL in the Shoal Creek Watershed in Missouri. Economic and costs associated with the TMDL implementation at the watershed and landowner scale are being assessed. Nutrients, specifically phosphorus, are investigated as well even though there is no phosphorus impairment.

Georgia-ARS is working with other ARS project cooperators in Oxford, MS, Temple, Texas and the University of Georgia to evaluate the Ann-AGNPS and SWAT models using data collected on the Little River Watershed. The utility of the models for TMDL development in the Southeast is being evaluated.

The USDA-ARS Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit, University Park, PA is evaluating and modifying where appropriate subroutines in nonpoint source models to better predict the transfer of phosphorus (P) from agricultural landscapes to surface water. This involves the development of new process models to: (1) estimate extraction coefficients relating soil test P and overland flow P that are a function of soil type and / or land use, rather than current fixed default values; (2) simulate P loss as a function of manure type (dry / liquid), method of application (surface / injection / incorporation), and impact of soil physical properties influencing overland flow (soil aggregation, infiltration, flow volumes, soil-water holding capacity) to to better describe the effects of manure management on overland flow P via direct release of P from manure; (3) incorporate the effects of field or landscape position relative to the stream channel in determining watershed export of P via variable source area hydrology and channel chemical transport pathways; and (4) address stream channel effects in terms of dilution, channel sedimentation and erosion, sediment P resuspension, and sediment sorption and release of P to improve predicted edge-of-field losses prior to watershed export. In addition, the group is researching land management effects on nutrient and sediment fate and transport through explanatory and predictive models in order to evaluate the impact of land management selection and placement on field, farm, and watershed scale losses of P.

A cooperative project titled A nutrient management decision support system for the Lake Eucha basin was initiated in September 2002 with project cooperators from the University of Arkansas and Oklahoma State University. Other Arkansas related projects included: (1) Completion of a USGS funded project to assess GIS data requirements for TMDL development in agricultural watersheds. The GIS data analyzed were soils, land use, and DEM. (2) Initiation of an EPA funded project Development of a decision support system and data needs for the Beaver Lake watershed. This project will support TMDL development in the Beaver Lake watershed. (3) An USGS funded project titled Phosphorus Concentrations and Sediment Phosphorus Flux in Streams and Reservoirs: Effect of Chemical Amendments is in progress. This project is intended to improve the in-stream component of water quality models used in developing phosphorus TMDLs.

Florida is evaluating the FHANTM, EAAMOD, and ACRU2000 models to determine their applicability for TMDL development in the Lake Okeechobee basin. The models are being tested using data from ongoing BMP demonstration projects on beef ranches in south Florida.

The University of Georgia, the USDA-ARS Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources are investigating natural background levels of dissolved oxygen in coastal plain streams and rivers. The University of Georgia worked with U.S. EPA ERLs in Georgia and Oregon to develop a conceptual model for prioritizing wetland restoration for sediment reduction. This model will be used to set funding priorities to address sediment TMDL implementation plans in EPA Region IV.

Maryland is calibrating, validating, and testing the SWAT models capabilities in watershed level hydrologic and water quality assessment. Results indicate that the SWAT Model works well for predicting annual loadings. However, SWAT fails to do reasonable simulations for shorter time intervals such as monthly, daily, etc. Uncertainty associated with the SWAT model and a process oriented model, MACRO, is also being evaluated. Results indicate that consideration of the input variability for the sensitive model parameters is very helpful in interpreting the output variability, thus helping to associate uncertainty to model predictions. Watershed scale hydrologic and water quality data in the piedmont physiographic region of Maryland is being collected in order to assess the impact of dairy operations on water quality. This project uses US-EPAs National Monitoring Guidelines and uses both paired watersheds and upstream-downstream monitoring schemes. This project is one of the 11 national watershed water quality monitoring projects and has been in place since 1993. Data includes precipitation, stream flow, nitrogen and phosphorus species, pH, temperature, and electrical conductivity. Pathogen (Fecal Coliform, E.Coli, Salmonella) transport data is also being collected in 42 by 10 feet lysimters. Data from this research is being evaluated for its use in developing pathogen transport component for the SWAT model.

Texas (Tarleton State University) completed a study entitled Application of SWAT and HSPF within BASINS program for the Upper North Bosque River watershed in central Texas. The study evaluated and compared the watershed-scale models, SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) and HSPF (Hydrological Simulation Program-FORTRAN), included within BASINS 3.0 system. SWAT and HSPF were calibrated and validated for the baseline condition within the Upper North Bosque River Watershed, an intensive dairy producing region located in central Texas.

Utah State is developing a decision support system for Northwestern Washington to assist in TMDL development, general watershed planning, and management of in-stream flow and fish habitat requirements. This involves development of new models and integration of groundwater quantity and quality, surface water quantity and quality, and fish habitat models. In another project, WinHSPF and the Watershed Analysis Risk Management Framework (WARMF) models are being compared on Oostanaula Creek in Tennessee.

Virginia Tech is working to improve the ANSWERS-2000 model. Improvements include new submodels describing microorganism and pesticides transport. This effort also involves modification of existing submodels to better simulate runoff and nutrient losses from urbanizing watersheds. Virginia Tech developed a fecal coliform TMDL using HSPF for Naked Creek and is currently developing 10 other fecal coliform and benthic impairment TMDLs.

Objective 2. Assess potential/likely economic benefits and costs and equity issues associated with TMDL implementation at the watershed and individual landowner scale.

A proposal Assessment of the Ability of TMDL Models to Simulate Agricultural Practices and Impacts was written in collaboration with Objective 1 members. The proposal was submitted to the CSREES NRI competitive grants program. The economic objective under the proposal is to Identify the strength and weaknesses of the use of the HSPF and SWAT models in developing equitable and economically feasible (cost-effective) TMDL implementation plans for the TMDLs developed through objective 1. If the proposal is funded, economists will identify agricultural BMPs and other management actions for reducing loads from point and nonpoint sources of the targeted pollutant identified in the TMDL; estimate costs of pollution control practices; use models from Objective 1 to project load reductions resulting from BMPs and management actions; identify the implementation plans associated with each model that meet the TMDL at minimum overall cost; and compare cost-minimizing implementation plans of alternative NPS pollution models. Economists from Virginia Tech, Minnesota, and Tarleton State University will collaborate on this work.

Objective 3. Assess the potential ecological benefits/implications of TMDL implementation at watershed level.

Proposals to (1) quantify ecological services and how effluent trading may impact these services and (2) identify alternative biological/indicators of ecosystem health are underdevelopment. Arkansas is heading up this proposal effort

WORK PLANNED FOR NEXT YEAR

Continue existing projects and proposal submission efforts. The next project meeting is scheduled for the fall of 2003 in the Washington, DC area. The purpose of this meeting will be to meet with agency personnel involved in the TMDL program to identify TMDL research needs and funding opportunities.

Dennis, S., I. Chaubey, and B.E. Haggard. 2002. Quantification of land use impact on stream water quality. Discovery 3: 35-39.

Mostaghimi, S., K.M. Brannan, and T.A. Dillaha. 2002. Fecal Coliform TMDL Development: Case Study and Ramifications. Water Resources Update 122 (March 2002): 27-33.

Sharpley, A.N., P.J.A. Kleinman, and R.W. McDowell. 2001. Innovative management of agricultural phosphorus to protect soil and water resources. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 32(7&8): 1071-1100.

Sharpley, A.N., R.W. McDowell, and P.J.A. Kleinman. 2001. Phosphorus loss from land and water: Integrating agricultural and environmental management. Plant and Soil 237:287-307.

Sharpley, A.N., P.J.A. Kleinman, R.W. McDowell, and J.L. Weld. 2001. Assessing site vulnerability to phosphorus loss in an agricultural watershed. Journal of Environmental Quality 30:2026-2036.

McDowell, R.W, A.N. Sharpley, and G.J. Folmar. 2001. Phosphorus export from an agricultural watershed: linking source and transport mechanisms. Journal of Environmental Quality. 30:1587-1595.

McDowell, R.W., A.N. Sharpley, and A.T. Chalmers. 2002. Land use and flow regime effects on phosphorus chemical dynamics in the fluvial sediment of the Winooski River, Vermont. Ecolog. Eng. 18:477-487.

McDowell, R.W., A.N. Sharpley, D. Beegle, and J.L Weld. 2001. Comparing phosphorus management strategies at the watershed scale. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. 56:306-315.

Weld, J. L., A.N. Sharpley, D.B. Beegle, and W.J. Gburek. 2001. Identifying critical sources of phosphorus export from agricultural watersheds. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems. 59:29-38.

Sohrabi, T.M., A. Shirmohammadi, and H.J. Montas. 2002. Uncertainty in Nonpoint Source Pollution Models and Associated Risks. Environmental Forensics , Vol 3: 179-189.

Stuck, J. D., F. T. Izuno, K. L. Campbell, A. B. Bottcher and R. W. Rice. 2001. Farm-level studies of particulate phosphorus transport in the Everglades Agricultural Area. Transactions of the ASAE 44(5): 1105-1116.

Stuck, J. D., F. T. Izuno, N. Pickering, K. L. Campbell and A. B. Bottcher. 2001. Mathematical modeling of suspended solids and particulate phosphorus transport in farm conveyance systems of the Everglades Agricultural Area. Transactions of the ASAE 44(5): 1117-1126.

Vellidis, G., R. Lowrance, P. Gay, and R.D. Wauchope. 2002. Herbicide transport in a restored riparian forest buffer system. Transactions of the ASAE 45(1):89-97.