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peer-reviewed research article

Monitoring helps reduce water-quality impacts in flood-irrigated pasture

authors

K T, UC Davis
Donald L. Lancaster, Modoc County
Julie A. Morrison, Idaho Cattle Association
David Lile, UCCE Lassen County
Yukako Sado, UC Davis
Betsy Huang

publication information

California Agriculture 59(3):168-175. DOI: 10.3733/ca.v059n03p168. July-September 2005.

abstract

Northern California has extensive areas of irrigated pasture, which provide critical summer forage for livestock. In many of these systems, water is diverted directly from a stream into ditches or pipes and transported to individual pastures, where it is applied as flood surface irrigation. Our case study of discharges from irrigated pastures on Willow and Lassen creeks in Modoc County illustrates an assessment and monitoring approach for land managers and natural-resources professionals working to resolve water-quality impairments related to agricultural discharges from similar systems. We report correlations between four indicator variables measured in the field and the variables determined in the laboratory, to evaluate the potential for employing a strategic combination of the two.

author affiliations

K.W. Tate is Rangeland Watershed Specialist, UC Davis; D.L. Lancaster is Natural Resources Advisor, UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE), Modoc County; J.A. Morrison was Watershed Coordinator, Goose Lake Resource Conservation District (and currently Northwest Pilot Project Coordinator, Idaho Cattle Association); D.F. Lile is Livestock and Natural Resources Advisor, UCCE Lassen County;; Y. Sado was Postgraduate Researcher, and B. Huang is Postgraduate Researcher, Department of Plant Sciences, UC Davis. ;

References

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[CVRWQCB] Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. Discharges from irrigated lands. 2005. http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralvalley/programs/irrigated_lands/index.html (accessed 6/13/05).

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Stringham TK, Buckhouse JC, Krueger WC. Stream temperatures as related to subsurface waterflows originating from irrigation. J Range Manage. 1998. 51:90. DOI: 10.2307/4003569 [CrossRef]

Tate KW, Nader GA, Lewis DJ, et al. Evaluation of buffers to improve the quality of runoff from irrigated pastures. J Soil Water Conserv. 2001. 55:8.


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