Nordick Controlled Drainage, Saturated Buffer and Subirrigation Water Management Demonstration Project.

The objective of this collaborative project is to demonstrate the water quality and quantity impacts of conservation drainage practices including controlled drainage, saturated buffers and subirrigation in the Red River Valley of the North; set a compelling example to increase the acceptance and adoption of conservation drainage practices; and form a coalition of partners to participate in the project. The project includes two field sites. The proposed design of field 16 utilizes a paired watershed approach where the 156 acre field parcel is divided in three areas, each with a different treatment: 1) Controlled drainage and sub-irrigation, 2) Conventional subsurface drainage, and 3) surface drainage only. Field 24 will be set up with two zones of controlled drainage and a saturated buffer. Surface and subsurface runoff quantity will be monitored, and water samples will be collected and analyzed for nitrate-nitrogen. Combining flow and concentration data will enable the estimation of nitrate-nitrogen load loss on a per acre basis. Meteorological information will be collected using an automated weather station located at a Discovery Farm Minnesota site approximately 2 miles from the drainage project site. A rain gauge will be installed at each field site to better capture differences in rainfall amount between the weather station and each field site. The meteorological information will enable the calculation of crop water use by utilizing the standardized Penman-Monteith equation and assist in establishing field water balance. Consistent with other field installations, the monitoring data will be transmitted from the field location to the MDA FTP data capture site via telemetry.