NIFA Competitive Grant Watershed Studies

About the Studies

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA, formerly CSREES) Competitive Grant Watershed Studies are evaluating the effects of watershed conservation practices on water quality, with a focus on understanding how the suite of conservation practices, the timing of these activities, and the spatial distribution of these practices throughout a watershed influence their effectiveness. These studies include two additional components that 1) evaluate social and economic factors influencing implementation and maintenance of practices and 2) conduct outreach education to transfer knowledge from this research to farmers, ranchers, community leaders, and other stakeholders.

New! Findings released from NIFA-CEAP Watershed Synthesis Study: Book, fact sheets, and webcast are available, August 2012

Project updates (from annual NIFA National Water Land Grant – Sea Grant Conference)

NIFA CEAP Homepage

The National Agricultural Library maintains a dynamic bibliography cataloging all NIFA watershed studies from 2003 to the present.

Map showing the watersheds used in the NIFA synthesis study

The Current Research Information System (CRIS) is USDA's documentation and reporting system for ongoing and recently completed research and education projects.

These documents may require Adobe Acrobat.

Competitive Grant Watersheds Location
Asotin Creek CRIS summary Washington
Cannonsville Reservoir Bibliography (Articles)
A multivariate analysis of covariance to determine the effects of near-stream best management practices on nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations on a dairy farm in the New York Conservation Effects Assessment Project watershed, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Nov-Dec 2010
CRIS summary		 New York
Cheney Lake Bibliography (Articles)
CRIS summary		 Kansas
Cowhouse Creek CRIS summary Texas
Eagle Creek Bibliography (Articles)
CRIS summary		 Indiana
Goodwater Creek Bibliography (Articles)
Bibliography (Books)
Fact Sheet (PDF; 3.3 MB)
Effects of long-term soil and crop management on soil hydraulic properties for claypan soils, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Nov-Dec 2010
Evaluating BMPs in a Claypan Watershed, 2006 ASAE Annual Meeting
Watershed-Scale Evaluation of Selected Soil and Water Conservation Practices, Soil and Water Conservation Society Meeting, July 2006. (PDF; 0.6 MB)
Missouri CEAP Update, CEAP-ARS Watershed Assessment annual meeting, May 2006 (PDF; 0.5 MB)
CRIS summary		 Missouri
High Plains Aquifer Bibliography (Articles)
Bibliography (Books)
CRIS summary		 Nebraska
Lincoln Lake Bibliography (Articles)
Impacts of land-use change and best management practice implementation in a Conservation Effects Assessment Project watershed: Northwest Arkansas, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. November-December 2010.
Effectiveness of best management practices in improving water quality in a pasture-dominated watershed, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Nov-Dec 2010
CRIS summary		 Arkansas
Little River Bibliography (Articles)
Bibliography (Books)
Fact Sheet (PDF; 1.0 MB)
Water quality effects of simulated conservation practice scenarios in the Little River Experimental watershed, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Nov-Dec 2010
Long Term Water Quality Responses to Conservation Practices in Nested Coastal Plain Watersheds October 2006 (PDF; 2.7 MB)
CRIS summary		 Georgia
Little Bear River Fact Sheet (PDF; 2.1 MB)
Poster (PDF; 6.5 MB)
Measuring conservation program best management practice implementation and maintenance at the watershed scale, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Nov-Dec 2010
CRIS summary		 Utah
Lower Bad River CRIS summary South Dakota
Lower Calapooia River Project Website
Bibliography (Articles)
CRIS summary Oregon Public Broadcasting Story
PBS National News Hour Story		 Oregon
Paradise Creek Bibliography (Articles)
Fact Sheet (PDF; 1.5 MB)
Poster (PDF; 7.0 MB)
Long-term sediment loading trends in the Paradise Creek watershed, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Nov-Dec 2010
Determinants of the adoption of conservation practices by farmers in the Northwest Wheat and Range Region, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Nov-Dec 2010
CRIS summary		 Idaho
Rock Creek Bibliography (Articles)
Fact Sheet (PDF; 5.4 MB)
Poster (PDF; 6.4 MB)
Unusually large loads in 2007 from the Maumee and Sandusky Rivers, tributaries to Lake Erie, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Nov-Dec 2010
CRIS summary		 Ohio
San Pedro - Willcox and Santa Cruz River Basins San Pedro Bibliography (Articles)
San Pedro Bibliography (Books)
San Pedro CRIS summary
Santa Cruz Bibliography (Articles)
Santa Cruz CRIS summary		 Arizona
Spring Creek Bibliography (Articles)
Bibliography (Books)
CRIS summary		 Pennsylvania
Sny Magill and Walnut Creek Sny Magill Bibliography (Articles)
Sny Magill Fact Sheet (PDF; 1.3 MB)
Sny Magill Poster (PDF; 5.4 MB)
Walnut Creek Bibliography (Articles)
Walnut Creek Bibliography (Books)
Walnut Creek Fact Sheet (PDF; 2.2 MB)
Walnut Creek Poster (PDF; 7.0 MB)
Conservation practice establishment in two northeast Iowa watersheds: Strategies, water quality implications, and lessons learned, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Nov-Dec 2010
Targeting land-use change for nitrate-nitrogen load reductions in an agricultural watershed, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Nov-Dec 2010
Impact of crop rotations on optimal selection of conservation practices for water quality protection, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Nov-Dec 2010
The Costs and Benefits of Conservation Practices in Iowa, Iowa Ag Review Online, Fall 2006
CRIS summary		 Iowa
Synthesis Projects Location
Two grants have been awarded to complete a synthesis of the 13 watershed projects previously funded through the CEAP competitive grants program. The goal of this synthesis is to build a knowledge base that can be used to evaluate impacts of conservation practices and programs on water resources, improve the management of agricultural landscapes to achieve environmental goals, and inform policy decisions. This is a joint effort between NIFA and NRCS.
North Carolina State University NIFA-CEAP Watershed Synthesis Study, August 2012
USDA water quality projects and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture Conservation Effects Assessment Project watershed studies, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Nov-Dec 2010
CRIS summary		 North Carolina
University of Idaho CRIS summary Idaho