Watershed Research at the North Appalachian Experimental Watershed at Coshocton, Ohio

Abstract

The North Appalachian Experimental Watershed (NAEW) at Coshocton, Ohio was established during the mid 1930s as one of the first watershed research locations in the US. The mission of the outdoor laboratory facility is to determine the effects of land-management practices on hydrology and erosion, to investigate scaling from small plots to large watersheds, and to determine rates and amounts of runoff from watersheds of varying configuration, shape, cover, topography, land-management practice. The NAEW infrastructure consists of approximately 1050 acres that includes large lysimeters, small and large experimental watersheds, and a network of rain gauges. One of the first land-management practices investigated was an intensive study on the effects of a crop rotation on steep watersheds with different soils. These early studies contributed to the development of the no-till concept for farming steep lands to reduce erosion and runoff. No-till has been investigated continuously for 43 years at the NAEW with the current emphasis on effects on soil quality, carbon sequestration, and crop residue removal for biofuel production. Data from Coshocton were included in the original development of the curve number method, which is used worldwide. Watershed studies investigations include effects of conservation tillage, herbicide and nutrient management, pasture management, coal mining and reclamation, and urbanization on hydrology and water quality. Other studies conducted throughout the history of the NAEW include those on rain gauges, soil carbon, evapotranspiration, precipitation simulation, ground-water recharge, curve numbers, macropores, hydraulics, watershed modeling, and instrumentation development. Expertise and data at the NAEW are sought after worldwide on these topics. The facility has unique features that enable it to contribute to watershed model component development, including identification and quantification of the processes of preferential flow, interflow, non-uniform runoff generation, and scaling. The NAEW continues to have an important impact on soil and water conservation.