| Title: | Calibration of a field-scale Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) Model with field placement of best management practices in Alger Creek, Michigan |
| Authors: | Merriman K.R., A.M. Russell, C.M. Rachol, P. Daggupati, R. Srinivasan, B.A. Hayhurst and T.D. Stuntebeck |
| Year: | 2018 |
| Journal: | Sustainability |
| Volume: | 10(3) |
| Pages: | 851 |
| Article ID: | |
| DOI: | 10.3390/su10030851 |
| URL (non-DOI journals): | |
| Model: | SWAT |
| Broad Application Category: | hydrologic & pollutant |
| Primary Application Category: | BMP assessment |
| Secondary Application Category: | tile drainage effects |
| Watershed Description: | 50 km^2 Alger Creek, a tributary of the Flint River (part of the larger Saginaw River system) located in the southeast part of the lower peninsula of Michigan, U.S. |
| Calibration Summary: | |
| Validation Summary: | |
| General Comments: | |
| Abstract: | Subwatersheds within the Great Lakes “PriorityWatersheds” 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 km2 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%). |
| Language: | English |
| Keywords: | best management practices (BMPs), Soil andWater Assessment Tool (SWAT), nutrients;
field-scale; Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), edge-of-field (EOF) |