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Agricultural BMP Effectiveness and Dominant Hydrological Flow Paths: Concepts and a Review
Author(s) -
Rittenburg Rebecca A.,
Squires Audrey L.,
Boll Jan,
Brooks Erin S.,
Easton Zachary M.,
Steenhuis Tammo S.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/1752-1688.12293
Subject(s) - environmental science , nonpoint source pollution , surface runoff , watershed , hydrology (agriculture) , land use , infiltration (hvac) , pollutant , soil water , agricultural land , watershed management , soil science , geology , ecology , computer science , geography , engineering , civil engineering , geotechnical engineering , machine learning , meteorology , biology
We present a conceptual framework that relates agricultural best management practice ( BMP ) effectiveness with dominant hydrological flow paths to improve nonpoint source ( NPS ) pollution management. We use the framework to analyze plot, field and watershed scale published studies on BMP effectiveness to develop transferable recommendations for BMP selection and placement at the watershed scale. The framework is based on the location of the restrictive layer in the soil profile and distinguishes three hydrologic land types. Hydrologic land type A has the restrictive layer at the surface and BMP s that increase infiltration are effective. In land type B1 , the surface soil has an infiltration rate greater than the prevailing precipitation intensity, but there is a shallow restrictive layer causing lateral flow and saturation excess overland flow. Few structural practices are effective for these land types, but pollutant source management plans can significantly reduce pollutant loading. Hydrologic land type B2 has deep, well‐draining soils without restrictive layers that transport pollutants to groundwater via percolation. Practices that increased pollutant residence time in the mixing layer or increased plant water uptake were found as the most effective BMP s in B2 land types. Matching BMP s to the appropriate land type allows for better targeting of hydrologically sensitive areas within a watershed, and potentially more significant reductions of NPS pollutant loading.