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The Influence of Two‐Stage Ditches with Constructed Floodplains on Water Column Nutrients and Sediments in Agricultural Streams
Author(s) -
Davis Robert T.,
Tank Jennifer L.,
Mahl Ursula H.,
Winikoff Sarah G.,
Roley Sarah 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 - 10.1111/1752-1688.12341
Subject(s) - ditch , turbidity , environmental science , streams , floodplain , hydrology (agriculture) , phosphorus , nutrient , stage (stratigraphy) , sediment , total suspended solids , nitrate , water quality , environmental engineering , ecology , chemistry , geology , chemical oxygen demand , sewage treatment , biology , computer network , paleontology , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , computer science
The two‐stage ditch is a novel management practice originally implemented to increase bank stability through floodplain restoration in channelized agricultural streams. To determine the effects of two‐stage construction on sediment and nutrient loads, we monitored turbidity, and also measured total suspended solids ( TSS ), dissolved inorganic nitrogen (N) species, and phosphorus (P) after two‐stage ditch construction in reference and manipulated reaches of four streams. Turbidity decreased during floodplain inundation at all sites, but TSS and P, soluble reactive phosphorus ( SRP ) and total phosphorus ( TP ) decreased only in the two‐stage ditches with longer duration of inundation. Both TSS and TP were positively correlated within individual streams, but neither were correlated with turbidity. Phosphorus was elevated in the stream to which manure was applied adjacent to the two‐stage reach, but not the reference reach, suggesting that landscape nutrient management plans could restrict nutrient transport to the stream, ultimately determining the efficacy of instream management practices. In addition, ammonium and nitrate decreased in two‐stage reaches with lower initial N concentrations. Overall, results suggest that turbidity, TSS , and TP were reduced during floodplain inundation, but the two‐stage alone may not be effective for managing high inorganic N loads.