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Calibration of a Field-Scale Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) Model with Field Placement of Best Management Practices in Alger Creek, Michigan

Author

Listed:
  • Katherine R. Merriman

    (U.S. Geological Survey Central Midwest Water Science Center, Urbana, IL 61801, USA)

  • Amy M. Russell

    (U.S. Geological Survey Central Midwest Water Science Center, Urbana, IL 61801, USA)

  • Cynthia M. Rachol

    (U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Lansing, MI 48911, USA)

  • Prasad Daggupati

    (School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada)

  • Raghavan Srinivasan

    (Spatial Science Laboratory, Ecosystem Science and Management Department, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA)

  • Brett A. Hayhurst

    (U.S. Geological Survey New York Water Science Center, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA)

  • Todd D. Stuntebeck

    (U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Middleton, WI 53562, USA)

Abstract

Subwatersheds within the Great Lakes “Priority Watersheds” were targeted by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to determine the effectiveness of the various best management practices (BMPs) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service National Conservation Planning (NCP) Database. A Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model is created for Alger Creek, a 50 km 2 tributary watershed to the Saginaw River in Michigan. Monthly calibration yielded very good Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) ratings for flow, sediment, total phosphorus (TP), dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP), and total nitrogen (TN) (0.90, 0.79, 0.87, 0.88, and 0.77, respectively), and satisfactory NSE rating for nitrate (0.51). Two-year validation results in at least satisfactory NSE ratings for flow, sediment, TP, DRP, and TN (0.83, 0.54, 0.73, 0.53, and 0.60, respectively), and unsatisfactory NSE rating for nitrate (0.28). The model estimates the effect of BMPs at the field and watershed scales. At the field-scale, the most effective single practice at reducing sediment, TP, and DRP is no-tillage followed by cover crops (CC); CC are the most effective single practice at reducing nitrate. The most effective BMP combinations include filter strips, which can have a sizable effect on reducing sediment and phosphorus loads. At the watershed scale, model results indicate current NCP BMPs result in minimal sediment and nutrient reductions (<10%).

Suggested Citation

  • Katherine R. Merriman & Amy M. Russell & Cynthia M. Rachol & Prasad Daggupati & Raghavan Srinivasan & Brett A. Hayhurst & Todd D. Stuntebeck, 2018. "Calibration of a Field-Scale Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) Model with Field Placement of Best Management Practices in Alger Creek, Michigan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-23, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:3:p:851-:d:136728
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gassman, Philip W. & Reyes, Manuel R. & Green, Colleen H. & Arnold, Jeffrey G., 2007. "The Soil and Water Assessment Tool: Historical Development, Applications, and Future Research Directions," ISU General Staff Papers 200701010800001027, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
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    1. Vivek Venishetty & Prem B. Parajuli, 2022. "Assessment of BMPs by Estimating Hydrologic and Water Quality Outputs Using SWAT in Yazoo River Watershed," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-14, March.
    2. Zohreh Hashemi Aslani & Vahid Nasiri & Carmen Maftei & Ashok Vaseashta, 2023. "Synergetic Integration of SWAT and Multi-Objective Optimization Algorithms for Evaluating Efficiencies of Agricultural Best Management Practices to Improve Water Quality," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-20, February.
    3. Timothy P. Neher & Michelle L. Soupir & Rameshwar S. Kanwar, 2021. "Lake Atitlan: A Review of the Food, Energy, and Water Sustainability of a Mountain Lake in Guatemala," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-15, January.
    4. Avay Risal & Prem B. Parajuli, 2022. "Evaluation of the Impact of Best Management Practices on Streamflow, Sediment and Nutrient Yield at Field and Watershed Scales," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 36(3), pages 1093-1105, February.

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