Sediment retention and water quality enhancement in disturbed watersheds
2000
Cooper, C.M. | Shields, F.D. Jr | Testa, S III | Knight, S.S.
Globally, water quality and quantity issues are alarming. Water quality problems generally result from past and present large-scale land uses. Continuing deterioration of water quality and use/reuse issues place the responsibility on agriculture for water quality improvement. Research on agricultural management practices in the United States shows that production agriculture can use measures that improve water quality. Instream suspended sediments and bedload are, by volume, the largest category of pollutant; sediments also carry many compounds that adhere to them in transport. Thus, reducing sediments must play a major role in improving water quality. Innovative management practices can reduce sediments and nutrients by 70 percent or more. If broadly applied, agricultural management and stream stabilization practices can significantly reduce non-point source contamination and have the extra benefit of improving terrestrial and aquatic habitat.
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