Agricultural BMP Assessment and Tracking Tool

Watershed Professionals Network

April 25th, 2013

Presented by: Stephanie Johnson, Ph.D., P.E. Houston Engineering, Inc.

Background

Over 3,600 of Minnesota’s waterbodies are impaired

Plans to address impairments rely heavily on BMPs

No one good source of information on ag BMPs existed

2010 MDA Impaired Research Priority #1: “Conduct a comprehensive inventory of agricultural BMPs that address current Minnesota water quality impairments including excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), E. coli bacteria, herbicides, and turbidity…”

The Agriculture BMP Assessment & Tracking Tool project was funded

under this research priority

MN Impaired Waters (2012)

Agricultural BMP Database: BMP Tracking Component

Agricultural BMP Assessment Tool Agricultural BMP Database: BMP Effectiveness Component

Project Website

Overall Goal: to bring information on agricultural BMPs to Minnesota’s water resource professionals.

Project Concept

Database Basics

• Online Postgres database • Publically-accessible / free of charge • User accounts required • Username/login protected

• Two main components: • Ag BMP effectiveness • Ag BMP implementation

tracking • Reports • Directly linked to Ag BMP

Assessment Tool

Ag BMP Database: BMP Effectiveness Component

Purpose: To assist the improvement of MN water quality using a comprehensive database of information related to agricultural BMPs.

Contains comprehensive query of research articles and reports that: - Quantify ag BMP effectiveness at reducing surface water load - Prioritize studies performed in MN - Supplement with studies done in bordering states

- Results observed in field or laboratory; no modeled results

- Results focus on performance of single BMPs, not BMP suites

Example: Mulch Till Study

Effectiveness Reports: Data Gap Summary

Effectiveness Reports: BMP Effectiveness Summary

Ag BMP Database: BMP Tracking Component

Purpose: To track BMP implementation with a publically-accessible, inclusive geospatial database set within a web-based tool.

Designed to provide: • Easy access for tracking ag BMP implementation

- View progress toward meeting clean water goals - Report to stakeholders/managers - Share your successes

• Access to basic information on other organizations’ BMPs

• Import/Export options - Import select info on BMPs - Export shapefiles with basic info

Example Record

Summary Reports

Exporting Data

• Exports shapefiles (points/lines/polygons)

• Locations of BMPs • All non-funding information from the

database records

Ag BMP Assessment Tool Purpose: To assist the design of agricultural BMP implementation scenarios using a web-

based map viewer.

Provides: - Access to information useful in siting BMPs - Locations of other BMPs in your project area - Link back to Ag BMP database (tracking component)

- Get further information on implemented BMPs - Automatic updates with changes/new records in database

- Information for use with Ag BMP database (effectiveness component) to inform BMP selection

Developed in GeoMoose (open source solution)

Info on Other BMPs

Support Information for Siting BMPs

• Soil type* • Overland slope* • Hydrologic soil group* • Soil erodibility • Crop coverage* • Floodplains

• Native vegetation • Groundwater contamination susceptibility • Location of impaired waters • Subwatershed boundaries • Administrative boundaries (counties/WDs/etc.)

*relate back to information contained in effectiveness records in the database.

agbmp.houstoneng.net

agbmp.houstoneng.net/db

agbmp.houstoneng.net/map/

Thanks!

Jan Voit / Ross Behrends, HLWD Adam Birr / Joshua Stamper, MDA Project Technical Advisory Committee