Click on “Download PDF” for the PDF version or on the title for the HTML version.

If you are not an ASABE member or if your employer has not arranged for access to the full-text, Click here for options.

The Black Creek Watershed Project (1973-1984) measured the impact of agricultural land use on water quality. Significant funding levels were directed at the implementation of best management practices (BMPs) and educational/outreach efforts and assessment of the effects BMPs produce when implemented to reduce the amount of phosphorus leaving the agricultural watershed. Many of the water quality treatment measures implemented by the project are still widely used for water quality protection. A presentday analysis of the watershed is quantifying the long-term impacts of the Black Creek Project. A primary step in quantifying the long-term impacts of certain BMPs in the Black Creek watershed is to evaluate the efficiency of the structure. This paper discusses the genesis of a method for evaluating the long-term impact of grassed waterways, based on physical inspection and comparison to initial design parameters, placed in a rural setting.