Conservation management practices: Success story of the Hog Creek and Sturgeon River watersheds, Ontario, Canada

The soil erosion from agricultural watersheds can be reduced by implementation of conservation management practices. In this study, the effectiveness of most popular agricultural best management practices (BMPs) for reducing sediment loads within Hog Creek and Sturgeon River watersheds in Ontario was investigated using measurement of the shift in the sediment rating curves from pre-BMP (1989 to 1993) to post-BMP (2004 to 2008) implementation periods. The data from the water quality monitoring program for the Hog Creek and the Sturgeon River watersheds over this decade of extensive conservation management program implementation showed significant reductions in the sediment loads of 49% for Hog Creek and 41% for the Sturgeon River. The results showed that the most widely adopted BMPs that greatly influenced the overall removal in sediment loads were stream bank fencing, no-till farming, and vegetative buffer strips. Overall, the outcome of the study recommends these promising practices to protect and improve receiving water quality. The practical novel technique presented in this study for quantification of the overall long-term water quality benefits of conservation management practices can be an integral part of an adaptive strategy for a watershed-scale BMP implementation program.

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