Physical quality and sediment transport in drainage water from a manured and fertilized cropping operation

Results of a three-year investigation on the effect of large-scale plowdown of liquid manure on the physical quality of drainage water and sediment transport in a 594 ha agricultural watershed are presented. It was found that with proper management good drainage water quality can be maintained. Specific conductivity measurements can be used for quick estimates of the dissolved solids content in water. The bulk of the annual sediment transport takes place during the snowmelt runoff. The amount of sediment transport is greatly influenced by hydrological conditions of flow.