Could you tell me what your opinion is about the effectiveness of best management practices (BMPs) to minimize agricultural phosphorus and nitrogen impacts on surface water quality? Do the BMPs really reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in agricultural catchments? Can you suggest some research papers for me – especially about the lack of positive influence/lack of real management actions/most common barriers.
Typically they are effective when properly designed, presented and implemented. They are mostly designed to be reasonable measures that often make sense to landowners and industry to avoid regulation or difficult to achieve and monitor water quality standards. Many of the measures applicable to erosion and sediment control are pertinent to nutrient control. Vegetated buffers along streams that promote filtering og stormwater prior to entering stream are effective pollution reducers. Cost sharing, tax and other incentives may be needed, such as fencing that allows only minimal or designated access to streams by cattle or animals if off stream watering is not practical. If I run across a suitable analysis, I will send. The type of problems may vary by country or region, cultural practices, etc.
Dear Jola,
I think this is the best one to start with, you will find some valuable literature there:
https://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/BestMgmtPractices/Best%20Management%20Practices.pdf
Below I post some papers related to the topic.
Best!
Michał Filipiak
http://www.jswconline.org/content/60/1/1.short
Article Lag Time in Water Quality Response to Best Management Practi...
Article Economic and environmental evaluation of alternative polluti...
Article A Tool for Estimating Best Management Practice Effectiveness...
Article A field-scale investigation of nutrient and sediment reducti...
Thank you for your help.
U.S. is the best example of erosion and sediment control. I wonder how it looks in the EU.
Regards, JD
Dear Jolanta,
Please check the following resources.
Regards
SM Najim
https://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/BestMgmtPractices/Best%20Management%20Practices.pdf
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/sa/v73n1/0103-9016-sa-73-1-0001.pdf
http://agriculture.nh.gov/publications-forms/documents/bmp-manual.pdf
https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/PB1645.pdf
http://www.pcwp.tamu.edu/docs/lshs/end-notes/agricultural%20best%20management%20practices%20for%20water%20pollution%20control-2305986380/agricultural%20best%20management%20practices%20for%20water%20pollution%20control.pdf
http://lshs.tamu.edu/docs/lshs/end-notes/agricultural%20nps%20pollution%20control%20good%20management%20practices-2134197531/agricultural%20nps%20pollution%20control%20good%20management%20practices.pdf
http://www.lsuagcenter.com/NR/rdonlyres/CB67F3CD-CE73-4C39-B6E4-52F772F970CF/84012/pub2807AgronomicCropsBMPLOWRES.pdf
This paper on the US NRCS wetland program might be of interest. These practices can be very effective is sited and designed properly. Good luck!
Everyone thinks he knows about BMP, but you will find no country where recommended "BMP" have ever reduced the nutrient discharges to environment! Why? Very simple, BMP is the carrot but missing is the stick!
BMPs are generally specifically designed to address non-point source pollutants to streams and other water bodies. The term may have been adapted to other best practices or management measures to achieve some thing else. Many BMPs for water quality help to reduce the direct discharges of pollutants, and could be applied whether point or non-point soiurces of pollution. For nitrogen and phosphorus, BMPs are used in stream buffers to filter out P as it adheres to soil particles, and retained on site to be absorbed by trees or vegetation. For nitrogen, which is more mobile, the absorbtion of water in the stream buffer raises the water table and soil wetness, encouraging denitrification, but also true that there may be some elevation of nitrogen in groundwater. The longer the nitrogen is retained on the land or in the groundwater, the greater opportunity to denitrify or be absorbed by plants. The carrot to many is preferred over the stick, but you may need stick if the carrot does not work. The problem is often the effects of activities that produce nitrogen or phosphorus are not on-site or near the discharge points, but downstream to other connected streams, waterbodies and aquatic ecosystems.
BMPs are not a panacea, can be imperfect and will not address all the issues. But if they are not designed, implemented, monitored and validated to be somewhat effective in most circumstances, then they are not really BMPs.
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