Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID IA_2023_Isenhart

Stream Nitrate Load Monitoring for Watershed Scale Assessment of Edge-of-Field Practices

Institute: Iowa
Year Established: 2023 Start Date: 2023-09-01 End Date: 2024-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $5,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $5,000

Principal Investigators: Thomas Isenhart

Project Summary: Water quality in Alleman Creek, a small watershed in Iowa, will be monitored through stream nitrate sampling and streamflow monitoring. Nearly all subsurface drainage tile outlets in this watershed were treated with an edge-of-field nitrogen reduction practice (saturated buffer or denitrifying bioreactor) as part of the first Polk County Batch and Build Project. This project will assess the effectiveness of these edge-of-field practices at scale by quantifying the reduction in nitrogen mass leaving the watershed. This watershed assessment will be contextualized with nitrate mass reduction monitoring of three individual saturated buffers in the watershed. This research will provide valuable empirical data on the effectiveness of edge-of-field water quality practices at a larger scale as widespread implementation of these practices accelerates to meet water quality goals.