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An Integrated Approach for Targeting Critical Source Areas to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution in Watersheds

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Abstract

This study presents an integrated approach for targeting critical source areas (CSAs) to control nonpoint source pollution in watersheds. CSAs are the intersections between hydrologically sensitive areas (HSAs) and high pollution producing areas of watersheds. HSAs are the areas with high hydrological sensitivity and potential for generating runoff. They were based on a soil topographic index in consistence of a saturation excess runoff process. High pollution producing areas are the areas that have a high potential for generating pollutants. Such areas were based on simulated pollution loads to streams by the Soil and Water Assessment Tool. The integrated approach is applied to the Neshanic River watershed, a suburban watershed with mixed land uses in New Jersey in the U.S. Results show that several land uses result in water pollution: agricultural land causes sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution; wetlands cause sediment and phosphorus pollution; and urban lands cause nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. The primary CSAs are agricultural lands for all three pollutants, urban lands for nitrogen and phosphorus, and wetlands for sediment and phosphorus. Some pollution producing areas were not classified into CSAs because they are not located in HSAs and the pollutants generated in those areas are less likely to be transported by runoff into streams. The integrated approach identifies CSAs at a very fine scale, which is useful for targeting the implementation of best management practices for water quality improvement, and can be applied broadly in different watersheds to improve the economic efficiency of controlling nonpoint source pollution.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the funding support by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture through an Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant to New Jersey Institute of Technology (Grant Number 2012-67019-19348).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University Heights, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA

    Subhasis Giri & Zeyuan Qiu

  2. Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA

    Tony Prato

  3. College of Economics and Management, Huanan Agricultural University, Guanzhong, Guangdong, 510642, China

    Biliang Luo

Authors
  1. Subhasis Giri
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  2. Zeyuan Qiu
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  3. Tony Prato
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  4. Biliang Luo
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Correspondence to Zeyuan Qiu.

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The project is partially supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Award #: 2012–67019-19348) to New Jersey Institute of Technology. The manuscript is an original contribution of all listed authors. There are no potential conflicts of interests or human/animal subject involvement. Proper acknowledgements to others have been made through the references.

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Giri, S., Qiu, Z., Prato, T. et al. An Integrated Approach for Targeting Critical Source Areas to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution in Watersheds. Water Resour Manage 30, 5087–5100 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-016-1470-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-016-1470-z

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