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.

Goodwin Creek, a benchmark watershed of the Conservation Effects and Assessment Project (CEAP), drains 2132 ha in the north central part of the state of Mississippi. Drainage is westerly as part of the Yazoo River Basin, a tributary of the Mississippi River. Sediment yield rates (14.5 t/ha/yr) in the region are among the highest in the nation. Phosphorus and fecal coliform levels also exceed water quality standards. The effect of land use and management practices on erosion and transport of sediment and contaminants has been the major thrust of research conducted on Goodwin Creek and is an important component of the CEAP project.

Analyses are in progress to evaluate the effects of conservation practices associated with channel and watershed management on sediment loadings throughout the watershed. Specific management practices which will be evaluated include channel bank vegetation, stream habitat improvement and management, grade and channel stabilization structures, and drop pipes. Studies to identify sediment sources are also in progress and will be coupled with measured flow and sediment data for comparison to simulations using a combination of the AnnAGNPS watershed model and the CONCEPTS channel-evolution model. Several management/climatic scenarios will be assessed using these two models to identify the most cost-effective suite of management practices to safeguard downstream water quality.