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.

Effect of Agricultural Land Use on Water Quality in Larger Watershed

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  Paper number  052224,  2005 ASAE Annual Meeting . (doi: 10.13031/2013.19036) @2005
Authors:   Gary L. Hawkins, Andrea Milton, George Vellidis, Robert Lindsey
Keywords:   Water Quality, Agriculture, Watershed, TMDL, Rural, Georgia

Most watersheds have both urban and agricultural sections that may contribute to the overall pollution of the larger watershed. In 2000, a TMDL was written for the Willacoochee River watershed for the major pollutants of dissolved oxygen (DO) and Fecal Coliform (FC) as well as minor pollutants such as metals. This watershed is located in the South Central region of Georgia where there are many slow flowing, blackwater streams. This project was started in 2001 as a result of an EPA 319 grant to monitor the seven (7) sub-watersheds in the Willacoochee watershed. Additionally, there was an educational portion that was designed to install BMPs and educate the citizens of the watershed on means to protect the streams and thereby reduce water pollution. The Willacoochee watershed was sub-divided into seven sub-watersheds with a nested watershed design to help determine if differences in water quality exist with differences in land use, above and beyond differences expected among sub-watersheds. The Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric analysis was used to determine if there was a difference in the water quality between urban, reference and total watershed samples. The analysis showed that there was a significant difference among the sites for nitrate, ortho-phosphate, ammonium and suspended solids. By knowing that there is a difference in the concentrations of the water quality parameters, continued educational programs and BMPs can be designed to reduce the contribution of pollutants from the originating areas.

(Download PDF)    (Export to EndNotes)