Agricultural watersheds participating in the federal government’s evaluation of beneficial management practices program received funding boosts last week.
In a series of announcements across Canada, the nine smaller watersheds learned what they would receive for projects that run until 2013.
The projects began at seven locations in 2004; Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island have been added for phase two.
The work measures economic and water quality impacts of BMPs .
In Manitoba, the South Tobacco Creek Watershed near Miami will get $1.8 million to continue research in the BMPs it evaluated during phase one.
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Those practices include conservation or zero tillage versus conventional tillage, small in-stream reservoirs, holding ponds to capture runoff from cattle containment areas, annual crop conversion to forage and comparison of riverbank zone management practices.
During phase two, the site will add a winter bale grazing evaluation.
The Pipestone Creek Watershed near Moosomin, Sask., will spend more than $1 million to examine nutrient management on cropland, conversion of marginal cropland to perennial cover, wetland restoration and in-pasture winter bale grazing.
In Alberta, the Little Bow River Watershed will get more than $800,000 to continue evaluating off-stream watering with and without streambank fencing, riparian buffer strips and manure management to determine the impact of nutrient and sediment runoff on water quality.
In British Columbia, the Salmon River Watershed will spend more than $1 million to evaluate cattle exclusion fencing with off-stream watering and a new irrigation efficiency BMP, which will study water quantity and quality.
The entire national project is a $14 million program through Growing Forward.
More than 70 organizations are partners in the various projects.
