The Lake Champlain Basin Agricultural Watersheds National Monitoring Program (NMP) Project evaluates the effectiveness of livestock exclusion, streambank protection, and riparian restoration practices in reducing concentrations and loads of nutrients, sediment, and bacteria in surface waters. Treatment and control watersheds, in northwestern Vermont, have been monitored since 1994 according to a paired-watershed design. The two monitored watersheds showed water quality characteristic of impairment from agricultural sources, with respect to bacteria counts and concentrations and loads of nutrients. Analysis of paired-watershed regression from the calibration period 1994-1997 showed strong statistical correlation between the control and treatment watersheds, with sufficient precision to detect changes of ~20%, or better, in response to treatment. Treatment practices for livestock exclusion, streambank restoration, and riparian zone protection were implemented in the treatment watershed in 1997. The first year of post-treatment data indicated significant reductions in total phosphorus concentration (-25%), indicator bacteria counts (-45-52%), and total phosphorus export (-42%) in the treated watershed compared to the control watershed. These results suggest that riparian zone restoration may be an effective tool for reducing nonpoint source pollutant concentrations and loads from livestock grazing in agricultural watersheds.
Citations and enhanced abstracts for journals articles and documents focused on rangeland ecology and management. RSIS is a collaboration between Montana State University, University of Idaho, and University of Wyoming.