ARS | Publication request: Management and modeling: Tools to improve water quality

Submitted to: American Chemical Society Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract
Publication Acceptance Date: April 28, 2008
Publication Date: August 17, 2008
Citation: Kramer, K.E., Rice, P.J., Horgan, B., Rittenhouse, J.L. 2008. Management and modeling: Tools to improve water quality [abstract]. American Chemical Society. 75:100.

Technical Abstract: Agricultural, urban and suburban sources contribute to the contamination of surface waters, which has been observed by the detection of pesticides, excess nutrients, industrial pollutants, antibiotics, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products in both natural waters and treated wastewaters. The use of pesticides and fertilizers in highly managed turf has raised questions concerning their impact on surrounding water resources and the contribution of managed turf systems to surface water contamination. Due to the time and expense involved in obtaining real-world measurements, computer simulation prediction modeling is a desired approach to estimating runoff volume as well as chemical composition and transport with runoff. In this study, measured experimental data was collected from creeping bentgrass plots managed as a golf course fairway under different management practices. Runoff from both simulated and natural precipitation events was collected and analyzed for pesticide and nutrient content. Hydrological transport models were tested to see how predictions of both runoff volume and runoff chemistry agreed with measured data. This discussion will focus on the importance of various input parameters to the performance of the models for the turf system under investigation and the influence of management practices to reduce chemical transport.