Environmental quality of Lower Little Bow River and riparian zone along an unfenced reach with off-stream watering

The goal of beneficial management practices (BMPs) such as off-stream watering without fencing is to direct cattle away from rivers, improve the environmental quality of the riparian zone, and prevent or reduce river pollution. We conducted a four year (2005-2008) study on an unfenced 1.3 km reach of the Lower Little Bow (LLB) River in southern Alberta, Canada where three off-stream watering systems were installed 290 to >=730 m from the river in August, 2005. Our hypothesis was that off-stream watering would reduce cattle activity at the river, improve riparian health, prevent river pollution by cattle, and improve the soil, vegetative, and rainfall simulation runoff variables at a cattle access site near the river. Off-stream watering did not significantly (p > 0.10) reduce the median number of cattle on the river bank, in the river, or drinking from the river one year later. However, there was a reduction of 20% (p = 0.15) for median number of cattle on the river bank and a 72% reduction (p = 0.20) for cattle in the river. The BMP moderately improved the riparian health score from 60% (2005) to 65% (2007). Our spatial analysis (upstream-downstream) of base-flow during the post-BMP period (2006-2008) suggested that off-stream watering prevented river pollution by cattle for the majority of water quality variables measured. Canopy cover at the cattle access site near the river was significantly (pÂ