Vermont Subsurface Agricultural Tile Drainage Report
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Vermont Subsurface Agricultural Tile Drainage Report Vermont Subsurface Agricultural Tile Drainage Report Submitted by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources January 31, 2017 Prepared for the Vermont General Assembly in Accordance with 2015 Act 64, Section 5 Report available electronically at: agriculture.vermont.gov/tile-drainage The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources are equal opportunity agencies and offer all persons the benefits of participating in each of its programs and competing in all areas of employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual preference, or other non-merit factors. This document is available upon request in large print, braille or audio cassette. Vermont Relay Service for the Hearing Impaired 1-800-253-0191 TDD>Voice – 1-800-253-0195>TDD Vermont Subsurface Tile Drainage Report 2 Table of Contents Introduction _________________________________________________________________ 6 Issue Overview _______________________________________________________________ 7 Scientific Review _____________________________________________________________ 9 Factors that Influence Phosphorus Transport in Tiles ______________________________ 10 1. Preferential flow ____________________________________________________ 11 2. Precipitation and climate _____________________________________________ 11 3. Cropping systems and tillage __________________________________________ 12 4. Phosphorus source rate, placement and timing ___________________________ 12 5. Soil test phosphorus levels ____________________________________________ 13 6. Drainage depth and spacing ___________________________________________ 13 Current Local Research _______________________________________________________ 14 1. University of Vermont – Revisions to USDA/NRCS 590 Standard ______________ 14 2. Drainage control structures ___________________________________________ 15 3. Phosphorus removal systems with media ________________________________ 15 4. Constructed wetlands ________________________________________________ 16 5. Tile monitoring _____________________________________________________ 16 6. Surface versus subsurface comparisons __________________________________ 16 Knowledge Gaps _____________________________________________________________ 16 1. Regulatory framework in existence _____________________________________ 17 2. Installation designs __________________________________________________ 17 3. Management around tile drain systems _________________________________ 18 4. Evaluating the impacts of tile and the benefits of conservation practices _______ 19 Recommendations ___________________________________________________________ 19 Recommendations from Literature Review ______________________________________ 19 1. Assessment of tile drainage systems in the Lake Champlain Basin _____________ 19 2. Research needs _____________________________________________________ 20 Recommendations from the Tile Drain Advisory Group ____________________________ 20 Joint Agency Programmatic and Policy Recommendations ___________________________ 26 1. Extensive education and training for farmers _____________________________ 27 2. Strong implementation of the RAPs on tile drained fields ____________________ 27 3. Establish a farmer workgroup to develop short and long-term efforts for tile drain management ____________________________________________________________ 28 4. Support thorough evaluation of the extent of currently installed tile drains _____ 28 5. Notification of tile drain installation ____________________________________ 29 6. Additional research__________________________________________________ 29 Vermont Subsurface Tile Drainage Report 3 7. Incentives to encourage alternatives to tile _______________________________ 30 Next Steps __________________________________________________________________ 31 List of Figures Figure 1. Example of tile drains installed in an agricultural setting. Typical installations are 3 to 4 feet in depth. _______________________________________________________________ 7 Figure 2. Example of tile drainage in fields in the St. Albans Bay Watershed. _______________ 8 Figure 3. Example of soil macropores that facilitate the movement of nutrients through soil. 11 Figure 4. http://www.vectogether.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Julie-M-tile-drain- treatment-VEC-060816.pdf. ____________________________________________________ 15 List of Tables Table 1. Summary of Tile Drain Advisory Group Ranking of Tile Drainage Options Based on Feasibility Status _____________________________________________________________ 23 Table 2. Summary of Tile Drain Advisory Group Ranking of Tile Drainage Options Based on Impact Status _______________________________________________________________ 24 Table 3. Summary of Tile Drain Advisory Group Overall Rankings for Preferred Tile Management Options _________________________________________________________ 25 Appendices Appendix A. Lake Champlain Basin Program tile drain literature review Appendix B. Tile Drain Advisory Group report Vermont Subsurface Tile Drainage Report 4 The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (AAFM) and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) are pleased to submit this Subsurface Agricultural Tile Drainage Report to the Vermont Legislature. This report summarizes currently available tile drain research, the process the agencies used to solicit input and gather information on the current status of tile drainage in Vermont from local stakeholders and experts, a series of management options for tile drain management intended to mitigate adverse impacts to water quality, and recommendations for how best to implement each option. Additionally, the report identifies research and resource needs to further improve and enhance our understanding of the function and potential impacts of tile drainage. Both Agencies remain committed to the collaborative implementation of Act 64 and the Phase 1 Implementation Plan for Lake Champlain, as well as to the maintenance and protection of water quality throughout the state. This report represents our collective understanding and proposed response to an issue that presents unique opportunities and challenges – requiring creative ideas, continued scientific inquiry, landowner and partner input, and a strong resolve to protect water quality throughout Vermont. We are grateful to the Lake Champlain Basin Program for allowing the use of the draft Literature Review: Tile Drainage and Phosphorus Losses from Agricultural Land, a project completed by Stone Environmental, Inc. in September, 2016. We also want to thank the members of the Tile Drain Advisory Group, which was convened immediately following the release of the draft literature review, and brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including farmers/land stewards, environmental consulting organizations, agronomists and agricultural technical service providers, environmental advocacy organizations, and state and federal agency representatives. Anson Tebbetts Julia S. Moore, P.E. Secretary Secretary Vermont Agency of Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets Natural Resources Vermont Subsurface Tile Drainage Report 5 Introduction Act 64, Vermont’s Clean Water Act, signed into law in June 2015, requires the following: Section 4. 6 V.S.A. §4810a (b) is added to Forest Products, and the Senate read: committee on Agriculture regarding the On or before January 15, 2018, the status of current, scientific research Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets relating to the environmental shall amend by rule the required management of subsurface agriculture agricultural practices in order to include tile drainage and how subsurface requirements for reducing nutrient agriculture tile drainage contributes to contribution to waters of the State from nutrient loading of surface waters. The subsurface tile drainage. Upon adoption of report shall include a recommendation requirements for subsurface tile drainage, from the Secretary of Agriculture, Food the Secretary may require an existing and markets and the Secretary of subsurface tile drain to comply with the Natural Resources regarding how best requirements of the RAPs for subsurface tile to manage subsurface agriculture tile drainage upon a determination that drainage in the State in order to compliance is necessary to reduce adverse mitigate and prevent the contribution of impacts to water quality from the tile drainage to waters of the State. subsurface tile drain. (b) On or before January 15, 2016, the Section 5. Report on Management of Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Subsurface Tile Drainage Markets and the Secretary of Natural (a) The Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Resources shall submit an interim Markets and the Secretary of Natural report that summarizes the progress of Resources, after consultation with the the Secretaries in preparing the report U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural required by this section. The Secretary Resource Conservation Service, shall of Agriculture, Food and Markets and submit a joint report to the House the Secretary of Natural Resources Committee on Fish, Wildlife and Water shall submit the final report required Resources, the Senate Committee on by this section on or before January 15, Natural Resources and Energy, the 2017. House Committee on Agriculture and The Secretaries submitted a joint interim report to the Legislature