Abstract
Diffuse nutrient loads are a common problem in developed and agricultural watersheds. While there has been substantial investment in best management practices (BMPs) to reduce diffuse pollution, there remains a need to better prioritize controls at the watershed scale as reflected in recent US-EPA guidance for watershed planning and Total Maximum Daily Load development. We implemented spatial optimization techniques among four diffuse source pathways in a mixed-use watershed in Northern Vermont to maximize total reduction of phosphorus loading to streams while minimizing associated costs. We found that within a capital cost range of 138 to 321 USD ha-1 a phosphorus reduction of 0.29 to 0.38 kg ha−1 year−1, is attainable. Optimization results are substantially more cost-effective than most scenarios identified by stakeholders. The maximum diffuse phosphorus load reduction equates to 1.25 t year−1using the most cost-effective technologies for each diffuse source at a cost of $3,464,260. However, 1.13 t year−1 could be reduced at a much lower cost of $976,417. This is the practical upper limit of achievable diffuse phosphorus reduction, above which additional spending would not result in substantially more phosphorus reduction. Watershed managers could use solutions along the resulting Pareto optimal curve to select optimal combinations of BMPs based on a water quality target or available funds. The results demonstrate the power of using spatial optimization methods to arrive at a cost-effective selection of BMPs and their distribution across a landscape.
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Notes
A TMDL is a water quality study required by the Clean Water Act, in the United States, that identifies the total pollutant load that a water body can accept and still meet water quality standards. The TMDL also allocates the acceptable load for categories of diffuse pollutant sources and regulated point sources in the watershed. Implementation plans that often accompany TMDLs outline critical sources and locations of diffuse pollutants in a watershed and a plan to reduce them to the loads identified in the TMDL.
In 2011, EPA rescinded its approval of the Lake Champlain TMDL. Revisions to this TMDL by EPA are pending. The load allocations described in the 2002 TMDL are used for purposes of setting optimization targets in this study.
Note: All costs are given in 2006 USD. Although the costs values are relatively old, the study is comparative and therefore unit consistency is the most important concern for costs. Recent changes in unit costs associated with inflation may change the absolute costs but do not affect the shape of the pareto curve.
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Acknowledgments
We are grateful for funding for this work from the Northeastern States Research Cooperative and Vermont ESPCoR. We are especially thankful to the stakeholders who participated and contributed valuable knowledge, insight, and data to the models and their application to the St. Albans Bay watershed.
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Maps of optimal watershed intervention combinations for specific land uses at varying costs and reductions of diffuse phosphorus load. Note: Only BMP and land use combinations that result in significant phosphorus reduction are shown. (DOCX 1256 kb)
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Gaddis, E.J.B., Voinov, A., Seppelt, R. et al. Spatial Optimization of Best Management Practices to Attain Water Quality Targets. Water Resour Manage 28, 1485–1499 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-013-0503-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-013-0503-0