Current Water Quality Research
Riparian Buffers, Water Quality and Carbon Sequestration
PI: David Newburn (University of Maryland Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics)
Co-PIs: Erik Lichtenberg (UMD AGNR)
Duration: May 2023 to July 2024
Grant: $65,514
Description: The study, written by Dr. David Newburn, an environmental and resource economist at the University of Maryland (UMD) College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, takes an experimental approach to evaluating methods and potential incentives to increase buffer adoption and enhance their environmental effectiveness.
Maryland has existing state and federal programs, such as the Conservation Buffer Initiative and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, that incentivize landowners who sign up to install buffers. Newburn’s study uses a survey of the owners of farmland throughout Maryland and embedded an experiment to elicit landowners willing to enroll in alternative buffer incentive programs varying in payment amounts and contract length. The study then combines this survey data with modeling to determine the likelihood that farmers will participate and what environmental benefits for water quality and carbon sequestration are achieved under each scenario.
(Photo Courtesy of the Chesapeake Bay Program)
Quantifying actual nutrient load reduction in drainage structures
PI: Dr. Hemendra Kumar (UMD AGNR)
Co-PIs: Dr. Ritesh Karki (UMD AGNR), Timothy Rosen (ShoreRivers), Ariana Muñoz (ShoreRivers), and Dr. Steve Lyon (The Ohio State University)
Duration: April 2024 to March 2026
Grant: $95,560
Description: Research in the Delmarva region focuses on implementing advanced technologies to address the critical issue of balancing food production and water quality in agriculture. The Chesapeake Bay clean-up effort underscores the urgency to restore the Bay and its contributing waters, highlighting the region's need for sustainable agricultural practices. Nutrient transport from agricultural fields poses a challenge to water quality. This research centers on implementing drainage water management (DWM), specifically exploring its potential to treat nutrient loss hot spots and hot moments (a particular moment in time when nutrient loss occurs) while empowering farmers as environmental stewards.
DWM involves installing water control structures at edge-of-field outlets to manage the water and nutrient flow, and reduce subsurface drainage flow and retain nutrient-rich water within the landscape, preventing its harmful effects on water bodies. These structures act as a tool to improve crops’ nutrient use efficiency, use of fertilizers, and manage in-field water levels sustainably. This research aims to quantify the impact of automated and manual DWM systems on water and nutrient flux from agricultural fields. Automated DWM utilizes sensor technologies to dynamically control water levels in the field’s drainage system based on real-time data. Manual DWM structures allow farmers to manually adjust the water levels in drainage pipes and control the flow of water and nutrients from the field. The researchers aim to assess the effectiveness of automated and manual DWM structures in reducing nutrient loads from fields in the Delmarva region.
“Our research on drainage water management not only benefits States’ agricultural community but also plays a crucial role in the larger effort to restore and preserve the health of Chesapeake Bay. By empowering farmers with smart agricultural technologies, we aim to reduce nutrient loading, safeguard water quality and contribute to a healthier environment for everyone in the Delmarva region.”