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USDA-CSREES Grant |
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Project Summary: Improving water quality at the watershed level by targeting high-return stakeholders Proposal number: 2005-04103 Project Group: Kati White, Jonathan Crane, Yuncong Li, Edward Evans, Bruce Schaffer, and Rafael Muñoz-Carpena
Water resources in southern Florida face unique challenges because of the region’s complex water system which is a consequence of both natural and man-made influences. Over the years, south Florida waterways have been altered from natural pathways by constructed canals, levees, and other structures to provide flood protection and increased dry acreage for human development. Even with man-made drainage structures in place, south Florida still maintains a high water table (or groundwater level), which has close interaction with surface waters. There is growing concern for protection of south Florida’s groundwater because of its use as the sole drinking water supply in the region, the ever increasing urban water demands, and the dependence of the agricultural community on it for irrigation. In addition, ecological treasures, such as the Everglades National Park and the Biscayne National Park, are directly influenced by the quality and quantity of available groundwater. This CSREES National Integrated Water Quality project will expand previous and on-going research efforts to protect water resources of south Florida’s Biscayne Bay watershed, which encompasses much of Miami-Dade County and is located in southeast Florida, directly adjacent to the Everglades National Park. Specifically, the project aims to develop and refine a set of innovative “best management practices” (BMPs) for water conservation and nutrient leaching reduction by focusing on high-return agricultural stakeholders. Such stakeholders have been defined to include those that:(1) have economic longevity in the watershed; (2) are interested in development, implementation, and continued use of BMPs; and (3) currently use irrigation and fertilizer practices that could be improved to reduce nutrient leaching and conserve water resources. To successfully implement this project, a multi-disciplinary team has been assembled comprising agricultural engineers, horticulturalists, agricultural economists, soil scientists, and extension personnel. The multi-disciplinary team approach is essential because of the need to implement and evaluate BMPs while considering plant production, water and soil interactions, BMP mechanics, economic analysis, and information transfer to local growers using a hands-on method. The team will also conduct an evaluation of how precision irrigation and nutrient management BMPs would benefit water quality and quantity at the watershed level. This project will produce an evaluation of environmental and economic benefits of high-return stakeholders implementing water conservation and nutrient management BMPs on field and watershed scales in Biscayne Bay Watershed. This project provides funding for additional development and implementation of BMPs for nursery and orchard lands, outreach and education, and development of guidelines for integrating BMPs into the Biscayne Bay watershed. In addition, this project will coordinate with efforts being made by the University of Florida Tropical Research and Education Center and other University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences groups, County Extension, and Florida state agencies to develop a BMP manual specific to south Florida agriculture. |