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In conjunction with an active watershed group, our overall goal is to further develop and determine the effectiveness of methods of modifying tile drainage systems to reduce nitrate export at the watershed scale, including understanding stakeholder motivations and response to extension programs, allowing better development of programs that will lead to increased participation in new conservation programs (behavior change) and watershed level reductions in nitrate loads. <P>Specific objectives for a tile-drained agricultural watershed in east-central Illinois are to: <ol> <LI>Determine the fate of water and nitrate with both saturated riparian buffers and managed drainage and at the field scale, including the effectiveness in removing nitrate (research objective); <LI> Model modified drainage systems using a long-term climate record to assess performance beyond the weather conditions that occur during the monitoring phase of this project (research objective); <LI> Demonstrate how modified drainage systems can improve local water quality with a variety of outreach tools (extension objective); <LI> Understand stakeholder motivations with respect to water quality and acceptance of modified drainage systems, leading to better targeted extension programming (research objective); <LI>Evaluate the acceptance by stakeholders of modified tile drainage systems that improve water quality, including possible incentives needed to implement these practices to obtain watershed scale improvements (research and extension objective); <LI> Develop both seminar/discussion and field-based courses for undergraduate and graduate students, leading to students equipped with both biophysical and social science skills who can deal with watershed scale water quality issues (education objective); <LI> Involve grade 6-8 students in local water quality issues through a service-learning experience (education objective). </ol>Major specific outputs from the project will include: a web site documenting all results, activities, and meetings with stakeholders; field and seminar/discussion courses taught, focused on integration of biophysical and social science on water quality in the watershed; a service learning course taught to grade school children on watersheds; results on effectiveness of modified drainage systems; long-term modeling results on how climate affects performance of the modified drainage systems, leading to a more complete understanding of what we could expect at the watershed scale; final measurement of effectiveness of extension programming and how stakeholder motivation, acceptance, and views of modified drainage system have changed; an increased understanding of how new incentive programs might be designed to have widespread stakeholder acceptance to improve water quality; understanding of how our education program has affected student learning and views about water quality; and a workshop report and web site to provide results to a wide audience.
Non-Technical Summary: Drainage losses from tile-drained agricultural fields in the upper Midwest are now well established as the major source of nitrate to the Gulf of Mexico, delivered by the Mississippi River. This is a major factor in causing an hypoxic zone that forms each summer in the Gulf. The flat, productive soils of central Illinois produce high yields of corn and soybeans, but the tile-drainage needed to make agricultural production practices feasible and timely on these fields leak large amounts of nitrate. Therefore, the long-term goal of our project is to develop biophysical and social science techniques that could lead to large watershed-scale reductions in nitrate export. Our project will focus on the effectiveness and social barriers to implementation of two drainage-related management practices; drainage water management (controlled drainage) and saturated riparian buffers in the heavily tile-drained and high nitrate Spoon River subwatershed of the Upper Salt Fork watershed in east-central Illinois. We will work closely with an active watershed group in all phases of our work that includes a wide range of stakeholders. Modified drainage systems will be installed on the watershed and their effectiveness fully assessed, focusing on where the water goes as well as overall nitrate removal. Simulation modeling will be used to better understand how modified drainage systems would work under varied weather conditions that might occur over many years. We will implement a full range of extension activities including: fact sheets that highlight research results and document the water quality benefits of the project; field days to demonstrate results to producers, landowners, and the general public; a DVD that explains the benefits of modified drainage systems; and information on the watershed group's website about the benefits of modified drainage systems. Surveys and focus groups will assess stakeholder interests and motivations before and after extension programming. At the end of our study we will have a thorough understanding of the biophysical aspects of modified drainage systems, as well as knowledge of stakeholder acceptance and barriers (and what incentives might overcome the barriers), effective extension programs, and evaluations of our work. The next generation of professionals will receive education from both biophysical and social science viewpoints, including a field methods course using the watershed as a laboratory, a seminar discussion course that integrates biophysical and social sciences, and a service learning course for 6-8 grade students about watersheds and water quality problems. <P> Approach: The watershed we will work on is the Spoon River subwatershed of the Upper Salt Fork of the Vermillion River above the USGS gage near St. Joseph, Illinois. This subwatershed has an area of 347 km squared (85,760 acres). We will sample weekly at the outlet USGS gage site throughout the year, with additional samples during major flow events. A new type of analyzer (Satlantic double-beam UV sensor) will be employed in this project to provide continuous (15 minute) nitrate monitoring. We will install at least two saturated riparian buffer systems on the watershed, both to determine their effectiveness (through extensive flow and groundwater monitoring) and to demonstrate them to stakeholders. We will instrument and monitor two sites, with each site consisting of two fields, one under drainage water management and the other under conventional drainage. Again, we will monitor tile flow and use groundwater monitoring to determine where water in the managed drainage systems is going. Soil and crop data collected during the experimental phase will be used to parameterize one or more models (e.g., DRAINMOD N II, SWAT, Hydrus2D) for simulating performance of the drainage water management and conventional drainage systems. Watershed partners and other stakeholders will be involved in this project early and often as they are the focus of the initiative to assess the viability of water quality innovation adoption. A mixed methods approach is best suited for capturing different aspects of the water management problem. In the second phase of social science research to follow shortly after initial interviews and focus groups, a survey instrument will be administered before extension programming and information dissemination on potential drainage modifications. We will implement a full range of extension activities including: fact sheets that highlight research results and document the water quality benefits of the project; field days to demonstrate results to producers, landowners, and the general public; a DVD that explains the benefits of modified drainage systems; and information on the watershed group's website about the benefits of modified drainage systems. Following extension programming an evaluation effort will take place. A survey will be administered to all available participants from the first survey in order to evaluate the effect of participation and utilization of various forms of information dissemination on landowner decisions, attitudes, and behavior. Both a field methods course in human dimensions of natural resources and an upper-level undergraduate/graduate seminar/discussion course will be designed and taught to facilitate the exploration of the integration of social and biophysical science as it relates to watershed management and risk assessment and mitigation of water quality problems. The courses will provide a case study and nearby "laboratory" for seeing social, biophysical, and management processes at work. We will also take advantage of a previously offered service learning course in our department to teach 6-8 grade students about watersheds and water quality problems, and how they can help reduce these problems.