Effectiveness of Controlled Drainage as a climate change adaptation strategy for the Western Lake Erie Basin

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Abstract. Water Management is a primary tool for climate adaptation and helps to ensure sustained production and environmental services even with increasing weather variability. Under climate change, Midwestern farmers are expected to experience higher intensity and less frequent rainfall events. Farmers in the Western Lake Erie Basin are responding to this potential change in climate by increasing the amount of tile drainage on their land. Tile drainage is a major pathway for water and nutrient loss from agricultural fields. While the increased density of tile drainage will help to maintain productivity during the growing season, it will also lead to increased losses of nutrients and greater tile drain flow throughout the year. Management of drainage systems is necessary to balance the benefits of increased tile drainage on agricultural production with the risks associated with increased nutrient and water loss to freshwater systems such as Lake Erie. One best management practice which can reduce water loss and nutrient loading is Controlled Drainage, a management strategy which allows greater control of field water levels and reduction in the volume of water lost through subsurface drains. This work uses the DRAINMOD model to evaluate Controlled Drainage in the Western Lake Erie Basin as a best management practice to reduce the effects of climate change on agricultural production while limiting environmental impacts on Lake Erie. Model simulations examine controlled drainage performance under watershed-specific climate scenarios and potential farmer management strategies for reduction of tile flow volume and nutrient loading.