Wisconsin Buffer Initiative Monitoring
Project Number: BQY36
Project Chiefs: Faith Fitzpatick/Becky Carvin
Project Topics: Watershed Sediment Budget, Compare control and test basins for cutting edge Best Management Practices, Evaluating the Wisconsin Phosphorus Index as a tool for land managers
Cooperators: UW Madison – Biological Systems Engineering, Department of Soil Sciences, The Nature Conservancy, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, DATCP, Dane County Land Conservation Office
Period of Project: 2006-ongoing
Summary
In 2007 the USGS began monitoring nutrients, suspended sediment, and streamflow for two small paired watersheds in the Upper Pecatonica River Basin in SW Wisconsin (Upper Mississippi River Basins) as part of a pilot project of the Wisconsin Buffer Initiative. This study involves a partnership among Dane County Land Conservation Department, UW-Madison, The Nature Conservancy, WI DNR, and the USGS to study the effectiveness of targeted agricultural best management practices in reducing phosphorus loading to streams. Along with monitoring nutrients, suspended sediment, and streamflow at the watershed outlets before, during, and after the use of targeted techniques; the USGS conducted channel stability assessments, channel cross section surveys, and pebble counts at nested sites in both the control and experimental watersheds to determine proportions of sediment and nutrient contributed by channel processes and legacy sediment. Estimates of volumes of sediment contributed by bank erosion and in-channel fine sediment deposition are being completed. Sediment fingerprinting work to determine channel vs. upland sources of sediment also are being done by the USGS and UW-Madison Biological Systems Engineering Department. The targeted techniques are scheduled to be installed in 2010 and the monitoring is planned to continue through 2012 or possibly longer depending on funding.
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