Water quality effectiveness of ditch fencing and culvert crossing in the Lake Okeechobee basin, southern Florida, USA

Abstract

Ditch fencing and culvert cattle crossing Best Management Practice (BMP) was evaluated in this study with regard to phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) load reductions and economic feasibility in the Lake Okeechobee (LO) basin. The BMP was implemented at a 170m section of a drainage ditch within a ranch in the LO basin and flow and concentration (N and P) data at the upstream and downstream of the ditch were collected for one pre-BMP (June–October, 2005) and three post-BMP (June–October, 2006–2008) periods. During the pre-BMP period, downstream total P (TP) load was 20% (67.0kg) higher than the upstream, indicating the cattle crossing to be a source of P. Downstream loads of TP in 2006 and 2008 (post-BMP periods) became 26% (14.7kg) and 11% (85.9kg) lower than the upstream loads, respectively indicating that the BMP reduced the P loads. The site was a sink for N for all periods except the 2007. Unusual dry conditions during 2007 resulted in the addition of P and N at the BMP site, probably due to the release of P and N from soil and plants. Average of three post-BMP period load showed a 10% reduction of TP loads at the downstream (251.8kg) compared to the upstream (281.0kg) location. To consider potential P contributions from the soil and plant, two scenarios, conservative and liberal, were considered to estimate P load reductions due to the BMP. For the conservative scenario, P contribution from soil and plant was considered, while for liberal it was not. Reductions in P loads for conservative and liberal scenarios were 0.35 and 0.44kg/day, respectively. Phosphorus removal cost for the conservative scenario was $12.61/kg of P, which is considerably less than the cost of other P reduction strategies in the basin. Overall, results show that the BMP can reduce P concentration and loads from ranches without causing adverse impact on cattle production.