Proceedings of the 2019 Mississippi Water Resources Conference

Year: 2019 Authors: Locke M.A., Lizotte Jr. R.E., Yasarer L., Bingner R.L., Moore M.T.

Assessing best management practices in the landscape is needed to better understand their potential to mitigate sediment and nutrient loss in runnoff. Runoff and sediment and nutrient losses in Beasley Lake Watershed were monitored from 2011 to 2017. Landscape management in monitored catchments included areas under row crops with (CropBuff) and without (Crop) edge-of field buffers and under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The study demonstrated that edge-of-field vegetated buffers and conservation reserve can be integral components in an agricultural landscape to reduce topsoil loss and transport of nutrients downstream concomitantly mitigating water quality impacts on rivers and lakes. Overall, efficacy in mitigating runoff losses of soil and nutrient resources, significant within-lake processes may limit the effectiveness of land management in improving downstream water quality. Results from this study should be providing additional information to improve and sustain water quality and overall environmental quality using combined conservation practices.