nt Efficiency RARE Regionally Applied Research Effort Grant Program Background Groundwater nitrate contamination af- fects thousands of households in the Southern Willamette Valley Ground- water Management Area (GWMA). To reduce non-point source loading of ni- trogen to groundwater and surface wa- ters, successful approaches are needed within affected communities to inte- grate science, outreach and manage- ment efforts. Researchers at Oregon State University monitored non-point source loading of nitrogen in Lane County in the 1990's. Building upon this work and the com- munity ties built in the GWMA by Or- egon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ), the Partnership to Improve Nutrient Efficiency (PINE) brings together commercial farmers, Department of Agriculture (ODA), Soil & Water Conservation Districts and many more to assess the current state of groundwater in the GWMA. Goal A project to improve surface and groundwater quality in the southern Willamette Valley GWMA by providing GWMA- wide tools and information to reduce leaching of nitrate from farm fields. • Assess the effectiveness of cur- rent fertilizer management prac- tices in the GWMA for reducing nitrate contamination of ground- water • Test models that can support nutrient and ecosystem services trading to improve surface and groundwater quality Approach PINE began in 2013 by working with OSU Extension and producers to locate and test existing 1990s lysimeters in Benton, Linn and Lane counties. The team identified additional producers to install Prenart lysimeters at a total of 15 sites. Producers allow for soil and water sampling on their fields and share information about their land management practices. In turn, PINE shares information about leaching and soils data back to pro- ducers. Sampling began in 2014 and will continue through 2017. Ultimately we will calculate monthly nitrogen budgets for each field to highlight connections be- tween leaching and management. Accomplishments 2013 - 2015 • Identified growers who voluntarily joined the research effort in 2014. All are still participating • Measured nitrate leaching monthly from 15 fields m the GWMA for > 2 years • Shared 2+ years of nitrate leaching data with farmers via biannual summary sheets • Hosted Nutrient Workshop in Monroe, OR (January 2016) • Presented work to over 30 groups at the local, regional and national scale • Calibrated study data to the USDA's Agricultural Policy /Environmental extender (APEX) model PAGE 1 ------- ficiency Crop Changes: Past to Present The 1990s crop landscape in Lane County consisted pri- marily of cannery vegetables and peppermint. The crop landscape of the GWMA as a whole has shifted since the 1990s, and today focuses on grass seed crops. Comparing nitrate leaching results from the present study to OSU's prior work many crops show reduced leaching while oth- ers are higher than expected. Current work will increase understanding of nutrient losses over time. 1990s Crops Today's Crops Wheat Wheat Peppermint Peppermint crops Orchard Grass Blueber Blueberry 2016 - 2017 Current Work • Measure nitrate leaching from 14 active farm fields (2014-2017) • Soil sample pre-fertilizer and post-harvest on study fields and additional fields throughout the GWMA • Publish annual fact sheets for the public • Develop water quality scenario and model • Continue sharing soil and water quality data • Develop project website • Develop protocol to assess crop Nutrient Use Efficiency for one or two GWMA crops Project Partners UPPER WILLAMETTE SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT Your partner for Clean Water, Productive Soil and Wildlife Habitat GWMA GROUNDWATER minium uti Oregon State not! UNIVERSITY Extension Service Oregon Department of Agriculture State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality BENTON SOIL AND WATER LCOG LANE COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS CONSERVATION DISTRICT PAGE 2 Multi Agency Collaboration Project Support • EPA Regionally Applied Research Effort (RARE) Grant • In-kind support from Land Owners, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil & Water Conservation Districts, SWV Groundwater Management Area, Dept. of Environmental Quality, & OR Dept. of Agriculture • Contract support Willamette Partnership, Lane Council of Governments, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Dynamac Above: PINE Cooperators sampling water for nitrate concentrations in groundwater wells. These wells are in the downgradient of the lysimeter field. For more information: Susanna Pearlstein (541) 754-4534 ™ ^ c< + , J EPA 600-F-l6-290 September 2016 ------- |