United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service		 Go to Accessibility Information
Skip to Page Content




ARS Benchmark Watershed Studies

About the Studies

In 14 benchmark watersheds, the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is conducting in-depth studies that will help to validate physical-process models used for the National Assessment component of the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP). ARS has been conducting research on most of the 14 benchmark watersheds for a considerable period of time and anticipates that research and assessments in these watershed will be continued over many years.

ARS is also conducting research for CEAP in most of the Special Emphasis Watersheds selected by the Natural Resources Conservation Service to address specific resource concerns such as manure management from animal feeding operations and water use and conservation on irrigated cropland.

USDA-ARS CEAP Watershed Assessment Study Annual Meeting

Principal scientific investigators from each of the USDA-ARS watersheds meet annually with other CEAP scientists to share technical reports and other information from the 14 ARS Benchmark Watershed studies and other relevant research.

2006 Annual Meeting

2005 Annual Meeting

ARS CEAP Research

These documents requireAdobe Acrobat DocumentAdobe Acrobat, or MS Powerpoint DocumentMicrosoft Powerpoint.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentARS Watershed Assessment Study Plan, October 2004 (4 MB)
The ARS CEAP plan describes the five specific research objectives and plans of the first five years of what is expected to be a much longer project. The objectives are:
  1. Develop and implement a web-based data system to organize, document, manipulate, and compile climate, water, soil, land-management, and socioeconomic data from ARS research watersheds for assessment of conservation practices and other hydrologic analyses. The system is called STEWARDS: Sustaining the Earth’s Watersheds, Agricultural Research Data System.
  2. Measure and quantify water quality, water quantity, soil quality, and ecosystem effects of conservation practices at the watershed scale in a variety of hydrologic and agronomic settings.
  3. Validate models and quantify uncertainties of model predictions at multiple scales by comparing predictions of water quality to measured water, soil and land management effects of conservation practices.
  4. Develop and apply policy-planning tools to aid selection and placement of conservation practices to optimize profits, environmental quality, and conservation practice efficiency.
  5. Develop and verify regional watershed models that quantify environmental outcomes of conservation practices in major agricultural regions.

In addition, ARS will provide quality assurance/quality control guidelines for methods and procedures to be used for data collection and analysis in the benchmark watersheds.

Watersheds

The Current Research Information System (CRIS) is USDA's documentation and reporting system for ongoing and recently completed research and education projects.

These documents may require Adobe Acrobat DocumentAdobe Acrobat, or MS Powerpoint DocumentMicrosoft Powerpoint.

Benchmark WatershedsLocation
Beasley Lake
Adobe Acrobat Document Fact Sheet
Adobe Acrobat Document Poster
Adobe Acrobat Document Beasley Lake Watershed, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, March 2005 (1.8 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Watershed Description
CRIS summary 		Mississippi
Choptank River
Adobe Acrobat Document Choptank River Watershed Project Overview, June 2007 (1.3 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Using Remote Sensing to Describe Nutrient Uptake by Cover Crops on Maryland's Eastern Shore, June 2007 (0.4 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Innovative Tools for Mapping Forested Wetlands in the Choptank River Watershed, May 2007 (0.7 MB)
 Maryland
Goodwin Creek
Adobe Acrobat Document Fact Sheet
Adobe Acrobat Document Poster
Adobe Acrobat Document Goodwin Creek Experimental Watershed, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, March 2005 (2.0 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Watershed Description
CRIS summary
CRIS summary 		Mississippi
Leon River
Adobe Acrobat Document Fact Sheet
Adobe Acrobat Document Poster
Adobe Acrobat Document CEAP Data Collection in the Upper Leon River Watershed, Texas, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, May 2006 (0.3 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document CEAP Monitoring Activies in the Upper Leon River Watershed, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, March 2005 (2.5 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Watershed Description
CRIS summary 		Texas
Little River
Adobe Acrobat Document Fact Sheet
Adobe Acrobat Document Poster
Adobe Acrobat Document Hydrologic Impacts of Land-Use Changes in Coastal Plain Watersheds, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, May 2006 (0.1 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Litter River Experimental Watershed Water Quality Record: The First Three Decades, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, May 2006 (0.4 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Little River Watershed, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, March 2005 (3.4 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Watershed Description
CRIS summary
CRIS summary 		Georgia
North Walnut Creek
Adobe Acrobat Document Fact Sheet
Adobe Acrobat Document Poster
Adobe Acrobat Document Application of the AnnAGNPS Model to the Walnut Creek, Iowa CEAP Benchmark Watershed, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, May 2006 (0.1 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Modification & Application of SWAT to Landscapes with Subsurface Tiles and Enclosed Depressions (Potholes) as Applied to Walnut Creek Watershed, IA, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, May 2006 (4.0 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Walnut Creek Watershed: CEAP Plans and Progress, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, March 2005 (0.3 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Watershed Description
CRIS summary 		Iowa
St. Joseph River
Adobe Acrobat Document Fact Sheet
Adobe Acrobat Document Poster
Press Release (Jan. 30, 2006)
Adobe Acrobat Document St. Joseph River CEAP Watershed Update, May 2005 (3.1 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document CEAP Workshop Report: St. Joseph River Watershed, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, March 2005 (2.1 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document St. Joseph Watershed Project: CEAP and ARS Funding Overview, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, March 2005 (2.0 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Watershed Description
CRIS summary
CRIS summary 		Indiana
Salt River / Mark Twain
Adobe Acrobat Document Fact Sheet
Adobe Acrobat Document Poster
Adobe Acrobat Document Mark Twain Lake - Salt River CEAP, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, March 2005 (1.0 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Watershed Description
CRIS summary
CRIS summary 		Missouri
South Fork of the Iowa River
Adobe Acrobat Document Fact Sheet
Adobe Acrobat Document Poster
Adobe Acrobat Document Conservation Practices and Water Quality in Iowa’s South Fork Watershed, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, May 2006 (13.7 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document SWAT2005: Geo-referenced Tile Flow and Pothole Component Application to the South Fork of the Iowa River, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, May 2006 (0.9 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Water Quality and Conservation Practices, USDA-CSREES National Water Quality Conference, February 2006 (1 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Assessing Soil Fertility, SWCS Annual Conference, July 2005 (0.9 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Movement and Survival of Fecal Contaminant Indicators, SWCS Annual Conference, July 2005 (0.3 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document South Fork of the Iowa River Watershed: Status of CEAP Research, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, March 2005 (1.3 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Watershed Description
CRIS summary 		Iowa
Town Brook
Adobe Acrobat Document Fact Sheet
Adobe Acrobat Document Poster
Microsoft Powerpoint Document Town Brook/Cannonsville Reservoir Watersheds - A CEAP Watershed Assessment Study Contribution, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, March 2005 (15.0 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Watershed Description
CRIS summary 		New York
Upper Big Walnut Creek
Adobe Acrobat Document Fact Sheet
Adobe Acrobat Document Poster
Adobe Acrobat Document Upper Big Walnut Creek Watershed, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, March 2005 (1.4 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Upper Big Walnut Watershed: A Conjoint Analysis of Local Opinion Towards Water Quality, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, March 2005 (0.1 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Watershed Description
CRIS summary
CRIS summary 		Ohio
Upper Washita River
Adobe Acrobat Document Fact Sheet
Adobe Acrobat Document Poster
Adobe Acrobat Document USGS Project--Sources and Impacts of Nutrients, January 2006
Microsoft Powerpoint Document Watershed Assessment Study: Upper Washita River Subwatersheds, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, March 2005 (12.6 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Watershed Description
CRIS summary
CRIS summary 		Oklahoma
Yalobusha River
Adobe Acrobat Document Fact Sheet
Adobe Acrobat Document Poster
Adobe Acrobat Document Yalobusha River Watershed, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, March 2005 (0.8 MB)
Adobe Acrobat Document Watershed Description		 Mississippi

< Back to Watershed Studies