Response of Water-Quality Indicators to the Implementation of Best-Management Practices in the Upper Strawberry River Watershed, Arkansas

• Published in: Southeastern naturalist (Steuben, Me.) Vol. 14; no. 4; pp. 697 - 713
• Main Authors: Brueggen-Boman, Teresa Ruth, Choi, Seo-eun, Bouldin, Jennifer Louise
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Humboldt Field Research Institute 01.12.2015; Eagle Hill Institute
• Subjects: cattle; chlorophyll; ecoregions; Escherichia coli; experimental design; grazing; highlands; nitrates; nitrites; phosphates; pollution load; rivers; sediment yield; total suspended solids; turbidity; water quality; watersheds; waterways; Arkansas
• DOI: 10.1656/058.014.0414
• ISSN: 1528-7092

This 4-y study monitored 6 sites located in the upper watershed of the Strawberry River, AR, where multiple types of best-management practices (BMPs) were implemented in an attempt to alleviate the impacts of cattle grazing on adjacent waterways. The water-quality variables we assessed included turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), and concentrations of NO2-, NO3-, PO43-, Escherichia coli, and chlorophyll-a. We calculated the average annual sediment loading for comparison to published acceptable total-maximum annual load (TMAL). The mean values detected for most parameters that we assessed were within acceptable state limits and reference-stream values for the Ozark Highlands ecoregion. Following BMP implementation, all sites showed significant increases in at least one variable, and the concentration of E. coli for 3 of the sampling locations exceeded the maximum allowable concentration. The estimated sediment loading was within the accepted TMAL. We conclude that implementation of BMPs was not effective at improving water quality during the time-frame of our study. Our results suggest that maintaining desired water quality in this watershed may require the use of BMPs that are: (a) specifically targeted to limit the parameters of concern (e.g., E.coli), and (b) implemented in specific locations of concern rather than dispersed throughout the watershed. We also offer suggestions for future studies of this type to improve the study design in an effort to more efficiently and effectively determine the impact of BMP implementation.