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Integrated Approaches in Community Nonpoint Source Nutrient Management
Citation:
Compton, J., J. Renee Brooks, J. Weitzman, A. Henning, S. Pearlstein, R. Coulombe, L. Erban, B. Hatteberg, C. Piscitelli, J. Selker, B. Faulkner, P. Mayer, E. Peachey, W. Rugh, AND S. Hutchins. Integrated Approaches in Community Nonpoint Source Nutrient Management. ORD Water Research Seminar, n/a virtual, OR, August 24, 2022.
Impact/Purpose:
This presentation will be given at August 24th EPA Water Research Webinar, sharing results from our project on community-driven research in the southern Willamette Valley Groundwater Management Area (GWMA). In 2012, EPA’s lab in Corvallis was asked by the GWMA lead with Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to conduct research on nitrogen cycling and groundwater nitrate contamination in this GWMA. We worked with the community to secure two Regionally Applied Research Effort projects in 2013 and 2015, and a Regional Science Innovation project in 2017. Through this research developed within the GWMA community we better understand the influence of cropping systems, legacy nutrients, water source, and nutrient management on nitrate leaching to groundwater.
Description:
This presentation will cover recent research on nutrient inputs, agricultural management and nitrate concentrations in soil solution and groundwater in the southern Willamette Basin’s Groundwater Management Area (GWMA). Non-point sources are the predominant inputs of nitrogen in the area, largely from fertilizer application for a diverse variety of crops grown in the Willamette Valley. Management of non-point source pollution in groundwater is an important and widespread challenge in many areas of the US, and this work could help inform other community-based projects tackling this challenging issue. The primary topics for this presentation include the results from community-driven research on nitrogen management and groundwater nitrate trends in the GWMA. EPA will also present the results of a RARE project completed at the end of FY21 that measured nitrate leaching from production farmland in order to understand how on the ground practices influence nitrate leaching. This presentation will allow us to communicate with EPA, state agencies, crop advisers, and others about the findings, explanations, implications and application for our study results.