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Drainage Water Management R doi:10.2489/jswc.67.6.167A RESEARCH INTRODUCTION Drainage water management R. Wayne Skaggs, Norman R. Fausey, and Robert O. Evans his article introduces a series of the most productive in the world. Drainage needed. Drainage water management, or papers that report results of field ditches or subsurface drains (tile or plastic controlled drainage, emerged as an effec- T studies to determine the effec- drain tubing) are used to remove excess tive practice for reducing losses of N in tiveness of drainage water management water and lower water tables, improve traf- drainage waters in the 1970s and 1980s. (DWM) on conserving drainage water ficability so that field operations can be The practice is inherently based on the and reducing losses of nitrogen (N) to sur- done in a timely manner, prevent water fact that the same drainage intensity is face waters. The series is focused on the logging, and increase yields. Drainage is not required all the time. It is possible to performance of the DWM (also called also needed to manage soil salinity in irri- dramatically reduce drainage rates during controlled drainage [CD]) practice in the gated arid and semiarid croplands. some parts of the year, such as the winter US Midwest, where N leached from mil- Drainage has been used to enhance crop months, without negatively affecting crop lions of acres of cropland contributes to production since the time of the Roman production. Drainage water management surface water quality problems on both Empire, and probably earlier (Luthin may also be used after the crop is planted local and national scales. Results of these 1957). Until recent years, the focus of to reduce drainage intensity and conserve Copyright © 2012 Soil and Water Conservation Society. All rights reserved. new studies are consistent with those from drainage research and development was water for crop use during the growing Journal of Soil and Water Conservation previous research reported in the literature to improve its efficiency and increase crop season. Drainage water management is that DWM can be used to reduce N losses yields and profits. Research beginning in typically applied by installing a structure (primarily in the nitrate nitrogen [NO3- the 1970s (e.g., Baker et al. 1975; Gambrell in the drainage ditch or subsurface drain N] form) from subsurface drained fields. et al. 1975) showed that agricultural drain- that allows the outlet water level elevation The measured impact varied over a wide age has significant impacts on surface to be adjusted or managed (figure 1). range (18% to more than 75% reduction water quality. Subsurface drainage reduces Drainage water management, or con- in N loss to surface waters), depending on surface runoff, sediment losses, and the trolled drainage, has been used for many drainage system design, location, soil, and movement of contaminants attached to years to reduce subsidence of drained site conditions. Crop yields were increased the sediment into surface waters. However, organic soils in the Florida Everglades and by DWM on some sites and not on others, it increases the losses of N (Gilliam et al. other locations (Clayton and Jones 1941; with the year-to-year impacts of DWM on 1999; Dinnes et al. 2002) and is cited as Stevens 1955). The first experiments show- 67(6):167A-172A yields dependent on weather conditions, as one of the major sources causing algal ing that this practice could be effective for well as the above factors. Papers reporting blooms and hypoxia in major water bod- reducing N losses in drainage water were advances in the development of datasets ies. Nitrogen losses from intensively conducted on drained irrigated lands in and models to predict the impact of drain- drained cropland in the US Midwest are California (Meek et al. 1970; Willardson et age intensity and DWM on hydrology and considered a major contributor to exces- al. 1972), but the practice was not applied. www.swcs.org water quality at watershed and basin scales sive N and hypoxic conditions in the Gulf Gilliam et al. (1979) determined that CD are also included in this collection (Mori- of Mexico (Mitsch et al. 2001; Rablais et could be used during the winter months asi et al. 2012; Heilman et al. 2012). al. 2002; David et al. 2010). By the end in North Carolina to reduce N losses from Drainage is necessary for agricultural of the last century, the development of drained agricultural (corn–wheat–soy- production on about 25% of cropland methods to reduce off-site environmental bean rotation) lands by 40% to 50%. This in the United States and Canada (Pavelis impacts had become an important objec- was followed by a number of additional 1987; Shady 1989). Globally, about 33% tive of drainage researchers and engineers. research studies and field trials (Skaggs of the world’s cropland requires drainage The development of methods to and Gilliam 1981; Doty et al. 1987; Evans (Smedema et al. 2004). Without drainage, reduce losses of N in drainage waters has and Skaggs 1989; Evans et al. 1989, 1995) farming would not be possible on many of become a primary objective in addressing in the coastal plain, where excessive N in these lands; with drainage, they are among the environmental impacts of agricultural drainage waters had been cited as a signifi- drainage. Reducing N losses is difficult cant contributor to algal blooms and fish R. Wayne Skaggs is William Neal Reynolds because the nitrate form is mobile in kills in the coastal streams and estuaries. Distinguished University Professor and Robert soil solution and may be readily leached The practice was accepted as a best man- O. Evans is professor and Department Head at with subsurface drainage water. A num- agement practice by the state of North the Department of Biological and Agricultural ber of methods may be used to reduce Carolina with cost sharing for the control Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina. Norman R. Fausey losses (Dinnes et al. 2002; Heilman et al. structures. It was heavily promoted by the is research leader and supervisory research 2012). They include source reduction by USDA Natural Resources Conservation soil scientist at the Soil Drainage Research fertilizing at appropriate rates, cover crops, Service (NRCS), the Cooperative Unit, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Columbus, Ohio. routing drainage water through wet- Extension service, and other federal and lands, use of biofilters, and DWM. All are state agricultural and environmental agen- JOURNAL OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION NOV/DEC 2012—VOL. 67, NO. 6 167A Figure 1 Management Coalition (ADMC) was Drainage management structures for subsurface drains and open ditch outlets. organized in 2005. ADMC works at the local and state level to educate farm, drain- age, and conservation groups as well as local, state, and federal authorities to build understanding of the latest drainage water management systems and technologies. ADMC was awarded and managed the five-state USDA NRCS funded national DWM Conservation Innovative Grant project involving land-grant university, state agency, and ARS personnel. Five of the seven papers in this issue report results obtained in this project. Drainage water management (Practice 554) was identified as a priority practice in the USDA NRCS Mississippi River Copyright © 2012 Soil and Water Conservation Society. All rights reserved. Basin Initiative initiated in 2009. Adoption Journal of Soil and Water Conservation of the practice was negligible during the first 2 years leading NRCS to establish a National Agricultural Water Management Team to assist states in the voluntary con- cies as a recommended practice for water Service/National Institute of Food and servation efforts to reduce nitrates leaving conservation and improved water quality Agriculture) to establish an interagency drained farmland, with an initial focus to (Evans and Skaggs 2004). More than 4,000 task force identified as the Agricultural address the intensively drained farmlands structures have been installed since the Drainage Management Systems Task in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. A program began in 1984. This application Force. The Task Force was formally estab- Phase I Team was formed in September of CD (now referred to as DWM) was lished in early 2003 as a technical work 2010 to provide recommendations for the subject of a special issue of the Journal group to assist in addressing and resolving strategic actions the NRCS should take 67(6):167A-172A of Soil and Water Conservation in 1992 water quality issues on drained agricultural to increase successful producer adoption (Stone et al. 1992; Evans et al. 1992). lands. The Task Force developed a Charter of DWM within the Mississippi River Research conducted in glacial-derived and an Action Plan through meetings and Basin Initiative. The team was charged soils in colder climates—Ontario (Lalonde discussions that included state and federal with assessing the current use of the prac- et al. 1996; Tan et al. 1998; Gaynor et agencies, nongovernment organizations, tice, identifying barriers to the adoption www.swcs.org al. 2002; and Drury et al. 2009), Ohio and industry representatives. The Action of DWM, determining and considering (Fausey 2005), and Sweden (Wesstrom and Plan ultimately led to recommendations lessons learned through past experience, Messing 2007)—showed that DWM was to USDA to encourage additional research and developing strategic action recom- effective in reducing losses of N in drain- throughout the Midwest to document the mendation that will increase adoption of age waters in those areas. Collectively, the environmental benefits of DWM, revise DWM. Based on the Phase I Team report, above results supported the potential use the Practice 544 standard nationally and a Phase II Team was charged to increase of DWM in the US Midwest. for individual states, seek Conservation the adoption of agricultural DWM for Innovation Grant proposals to demonstrate conservation benefits.
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