Mission:
The mission of the North Appalachian Experimental Watershed (NAEW) is to conduct research on hydrology, surface runoff, groundwater quality, and erosion for agricultural and other purposes. Conservation tillage, filter strips, crop rotations, manure management, input of high runoff generating areas, reduced input management practices, and pasture management systems are evaluated using watersheds and monolith lysimeters. Quantification of runoff and water quality risks through analysis of data and precipitation and weather investigations are also a component of the research. A 67-year data base of measurements from rain gages, watershed flumes and weirs, and automated data collecting lysimeters along with soil and climatology data provide a long-term frame of reference which is essential in the evaluation of current experimental data. Research is designed to develop knowledge of basic water sediment, and chemical movement and to develop practical procedures and verify models describing their transport. Practical results of the research are to develop safe pesticide and nutrient management strategies while maintaining high agricultural productivity levels, and to develop practical management tools.