1. An Integrated Approach to Foster Science-
Based Management of Agricultural Drainage
Channels in the Western Lake Erie Basin
USDA Project Director’s Meeting
October 12, 2016

2. The Need for Drainage

3. Optimized for a Single Purpose
Can we design and implement practices in ditches and
headwater streams that satisfy the need for drainage, but also
reduce downstream impacts?

4. Traditional Trapezoidal Ditch

5. Erosion Deposition
Common Responses to Channelization

6. A. Trapezoidal Channel
Original
Channel
Trapezoidal Channel
Signifies Human
Management
B. Two-Stage Channel (Natural)
Depositional Material
C. Two-Stage Channel (Constructed) E. Self-Forming Channel (1-year old)D. Self-Forming Channel (1-month old)
Channel
Design and
Maintenance
Approaches

7. Channel Design Guidance

9. How will our project help inform and
advance the management of drainage
channels in the WLEB?
1. Quantitatively measure sediment and nutrient retention within self-
forming channel benches and assess their spatiotemporal variability
(Research Objective)
2. Assess ecosystem services provided by two-stage and self forming
channels by evaluating soil microbiota biodiversity and functionality
(Research Objective)
3. Identify factors that affect adoption of alternative channel designs
(Research and Extension Objective)
4. Target implementation of alternative channel designs in the Western
Lake Erie Basin (Research and Extension Objective)
5.Conduct educational and extension activities to enhance student and
stakeholder knowledge of innovative channel best management practices
that improve water quality (Education and Extension Objective)

10. Objective 1
Goal: Assess spatiotemporal
variability of sediment and
nutrients stored in
floodplain benches
• Factors
• Ecoregion
• Bench Position
• Depth
• Seasonal
• Annual
• Soil physical and chemical
properties
– Bulk density
– Particle size analysis
– pH
– Electrical conductivity
– Total C, N, P
– P fractionation
– NO3-, NH4+
– Soil microbial biomass C,
N, P

11. Experimental Design: Ecoregions
• Maumee Lake Plains - poorly drained, fertile soils developed from clayey lake deposits that
were historically Elm-Ash swamps and beech forests;
• Oak Openings - belt of wooded sand dunes and paleobeach ridges amongst broad plains
with well-drained sandy soils;
• Paulding Plains - clayey lacustrine sediments and very poorly drained, illitic soils;
• Clayey, High Lime Till Plains - surface of clayey till with well-defined moraines and
intervening, flat ground moraine;
• Lake Country - Pitted moraine areas characterized by pothole lakes, marshes, and bogs
adjacent to well-drained kames and end moraines.

12. Experimental Design:
Bench Position
and Depth
US
NC
DS
NB
0-5 cm
5-20 cm
20-35 cm
35-50 cm
Upstream
Downstream
Near
Bank
Near
Channel
0-5 cm
5-20 cm
20-35 cm
3 Seasons:
Late Spring/Early Summer
Late Summer/Early Autumn
Late Winter/Early Spring
Two Years – 2012, 2013

13. Carbon and Nitrogen Retention

15. 2. Assess ecosystem services provided by two-stage
and self forming channels by evaluating soil
microbiota biodiversity and functionality (Research
Objective)
• Measure soil microbial biomass – C, N, and P
• Diversity and community structure – Illumina-
sequencing
• Functional potential – Geochip functional gene array
platform
• Expected outcomes – more holistic definition of
potential ecosystem services

17. 3. Identify factors that affect adoption of alternative
channel designs (Research and Extension Objective)
• Phase I – telephone interviews with key decision
makers to determine attitudes towards practices
• Phase II – landowner survey to determine willingness
to adopt
• Phase III – field experiment to determine how
expert involvement with landowners/decision
makers influences adoption
• Expected outcomes – knowledge of factors that
influence decisions

18. Phase 3: Field Experiment
• Role of information/education vs. stakeholder
participation and involvement in a collaborative
process
• Hypothesis: Stakeholder engagement in
developing information will lead to improved
results for two reasons:
– Engaging in the process yields buy-in to support the
results
– Including stakeholders yields a better product –
information developed is more useful to
stakeholders in their decision making

19. Experimental Design

20. Experimental Design

21. Experimental Design

22. Pre- and Post-Survey Scores
Across Treatments

23. Discussion
• The information appeared to be more
important than engaging stakeholders in a
collaborative process
• Results highlight:
– Importance of making educational presentations
(~20% had heard about two-stage ditches)

25. 5. Conduct educational and extension activities to
enhance student and stakeholder knowledge of
innovative channel best management practices that
improve water quality (Education and Extension
Objective)
• Conferences
• Coursework
• Professional Journals
• STEM Workshops
– Ridgemont HS