| Title: | Cannonsville Reservoir and Town Brook Watersheds: Documenting conservation efforts to protect New York City's drinking water |
| Authors: | Bryant, R.B., T.L. Vieth, P.J.A. Kleinman and W.J. Gburek |
| Year: | 2008 |
| Journal: | Journal of Soil and Water Conservation |
| Volume (Issue): | 63(6) |
| Pages: | 339-344 |
| Article ID: | |
| DOI: | 10.2489/jswc.63.6.339 |
| URL (non-DOI journals): | |
| Model: | SWAT (modified) |
| Broad Application Category: | BMP review or conceptual approach |
| Primary Application Category: | BMP and/or cropping system assessment |
| Secondary Application Category: | economic and or cost/benefit assessment |
| Watershed Description: | Cannonsville Reservoir drainage area and 37 km^2 Town Brook tributary, located in the Catskills Mountains 160 km northwest of the New York City metropolitan area in south central New York, U.S. |
| Calibration Summary: | |
| Validation Summary: | |
| General Comments: | The authors state that: "Two customizations were made to SWAT to more accurately represent the soil water and sediment movement under frozen conditions." The study provides a summary of previous research performed with SWAT and other BMP-focused research for the study watersheds. |
| Abstract: | The Cannonsville Reservoir watershed is a major component of the unfiltered New York City water supply system. The voluntary, incentive-based Watershed Agricultural Program is a collaborative effort among producers, federal, state, and local organizations to address the problem of phosphorus loading effects on water quality through implementation of whole-farm plans. The effectiveness of selected conservation practices, including streambank
fencing, precision feeding, and the use of cover crops with silage corn (Zea mays L.) are being evaluated. Simulation models have been developed and improved to evaluate the effectiveness of individual conservation practices and better assess animal agriculture and manure management practices. Conservation practices implemented through the Watershed Agricultural Program are resulting in lower phosphorus loading from nonpoint sources in the watershed. Future efforts need to identify the most cost-effective conservation practices and extend our knowledge of watershed quality protection beyond the boundaries of the Cannonsville Reservoir watershed. |
| Language: | English |
| Keywords: | best management practices (BMPs); Cannonsville Reservoir; Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP); water quality; watershed management |