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Water Quality Index for Runoff from Agricultural Fields ( WQIag ) By Harbans Lal, Environmental Engineer Shaun McKinne

Water Quality Index for Runoff from Agricultural Fields ( WQIag ) By Harbans Lal, Environmental Engineer Shaun McKinney, Team Leader National Water Quality/Quantity Team USDA/NRCS-WNTSC Portland, OR. Helping People Help Land. Definition Traditional Usage

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Water Quality Index for Runoff from Agricultural Fields ( WQIag ) By Harbans Lal, Environmental Engineer Shaun McKinne

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  1. Water Quality Index for Runoff from Agricultural Fields (WQIag) By Harbans Lal, Environmental Engineer Shaun McKinney, Team Leader National Water Quality/Quantity Team USDA/NRCS-WNTSC Portland, OR Helping People Help Land

  2. Definition • Traditional Usage • Review Paper (Water Efficiency Magazine) • WQIag(Components & Description) • WQIag(A web-based System) WQI (Water Quality Index)

  3. What it is ? • Felt Need (Evaluating conservation practices) • Purpose / benefits • Comparative assessment over time & space • Not a substitute for monitoring/measurement • Evaluating effects of conservation practices • Cost effective and easy to use • Flexible/site-specific adjustments possible WQIag (Water Quality Index for Ag. Runoff)

  4. Components • Field physical /sensitivity factors • Nutrient management • Tillage management • Pest management • Irrigation management • Conservation practices WQIag (Water Quality Index for Ag. Runoff)

  5. Procedure • Multiple factors in a component • Ranking and combining factors within a • component • Ranking and combining different components • WQIag based upon 4-key components • Adjusting WQIag based upon irrigation type • Adjusting WQIag based upon conservation • practices WQIag (Water Quality Index for Ag. Runoff)

  6. Field Physical/Sensitivity Factors (Rainfall /Vegetation Interaction) WQI-Ag

  7. Field Physical/Sensitivity Factors (Rainfall /Vegetation Interaction) WQI-Ag

  8. Field Physical/Sensitivity Factors (Hydrologic Soil Group, K-Factor & %OM Content) WQIag

  9. 1The sum total of rows should equal 1 WQI-fsf Integrating Soil Physical/Sensitivity Factors

  10. Nutrient Application Rate (WQI-nar) Nutrient Source and Application Timing (WQI-nst) Nutrient Application Method and Soil Condition (WQI-nms) WQI-nar Nutrient Management Component

  11. WQI-nar Fertilizer Application Rate

  12. WQI-ntt Fertilizer Sources and Application Timing

  13. WQI-nms Fertilizer Application Methods/Soil Condition

  14. WQI-nm Integrating Nutrient Management Factors

  15. WQI-tm Tillage Management

  16. WQI-pm Pest Management

  17. Integrating WQIag Components (No Irrigation & No Additional Conservation Practices) WQIag

  18. WQI-tm Irrigation Management

  19. Integrating WQIag Components (Drip/Sprikler Irrigation & No Additional Conservation Practices) WQIag

  20. WQI-tm Conservation Practices

  21. WQIag Conservation Adjustment Factor = Eff Field Level WQI = WQIag For WQIag <= 5.5 (mid-point range of the WQiag between 1 to 10); WQIag with Conservation Practice = WQIag(1+Eff/100) For WQIag > 5.5 WQI with conservation practice = (WQI + ((10-WQIag)*Eff/100)) Adjusting for Conservation Practices

  22. Integrating WQIag Components (Drip/Sprikler Irrigation & No Additional Conservation Practices) WQIag

  23. Web-based WQIag

  24. Concluding Remarks • Only an index not a real measurement • Influenced by local professional judgment and preferences • Highly useful when actual monitoring is out of reach • Need to be further tested and verified • Sensitivity of different components and factors WQIag (Water Quality Index for Ag. Fields)

  25. Future Work • Have regional experts review the heuristic of different components for site-specificity • Test and validate the index for multiple Scenarios • Extend the index to include farm level conservation practices • Develop a framework for using such an index at the small watershed level WQIag (Water Quality Index for Ag. Fields)

  26. Farm Field N Field 2 Field 1 Field 3 Name Acres Acres Acres Acres WQI-Params WQI-Params WQI-Params WQI-Params Location WQI-F2 WQI-F3 WQI-FN WQI-F1 Weather Farm Practice Farm Practice Farm Practice Farm Practice Fields 1 to N Practice Eff. Practice Eff. Practice Eff. Practice Eff. WQI-FP2 WQI-FP3 WQI-FP1 WQI-FPN WQI FPi = WQIFi (1+Practice Effi) for WQIFi <= 5 WQI FPi = WQIFi+(10-WQIFi)*(1+Practice Effi) for WQIfi > 5 WQIFarm = Sum Total of WQI-FPs of all fields weighted by their respective acreage Extending WQIagto Farm Level

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