Expected Impact of Agricultural Nonpoint Sources Special Land Treatment (AgNPS-SALT) Projects

Abstract

This set of reports describes the computer based evaluation of 6 AgNPS-SALT projects in Missouri and assesses the use of SWAT as an evaluation tool. The analyses estimate nutrient, sediment, and pesticide loading reductions for each project.

The intent of the program is to develop watershed based projects that include a combination of education, training, and best management practices implementation aimed at reducing agricultural nonpoint source pollution. In this study, an environmental simulation tool, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), developed by the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, was adapted to Missouri resource needs by developing a set of weather, soil and management databases that can be directly used to model characteristics of watersheds in Missouri. This study applied the computer based simulated model to predict the expected environmental outcomes due to the adopting of the Best Management Practices (BMPs) proposed in AgNPS-SALT program projects. The process was based on data developed for six watersheds representing a cross-section of Missouri conditions.