Programs

  • Restoration and Recovery

    Key issues

    1. Hydrologic restoration related to streams, wetlands, forests, urban/suburban areas
    2. Development of planning tools (models and inputs for models)
    3. Environmental economics related to ecosystem services
    4. Restoration/LID (low impact development) guidance, particularly sharing of lessons learned
    5. Sediment and erosion control, particularly as it relates to certification
    6. Development/improvement of restoration techniques (streams, wetlands, forests) and LID techniques

    Products/outputs

    1. For each land grant institution, identify research and extension faculty who work on watershed management, restoration and rehabilitation issues.
    2. Publications (refereed journal articles, extension publications, fact sheets, and white papers)
    3. Webinars
    4. YouTube videos
    5. Restoration/rehabilitation and LID atlas (web-based; identification of projects in southern region; include information on project)
    6. Standardization of assessment procedures for monitoring streams restoration projects, LID projects
    7. Development of citizen watershed watch procedures for LID practices (similar concept to what exists for streams)
    8. Conferences

    Novel/emerging issues

    1. Ecosystem services
    2. LID
  • Water Quality

    Key issues

    1. Development of nutrient criteria in each state by USEPA and lack of a mechanism for cross-state discussions.
    2. Nutrient nonpoint source pollution.
    3. Sediment nonpoint source pollution.
    4. Pathogen contamination.
    5. Personal care and pharmaceutical releases into water resources.

    Products/outputs

    1. Identify water quality research and extension faculty who work on water quality at each land grant. Their area of expertise and pollutant of concern (i.e. nutrients, pathogens, sediment, etc) on which they work should be identified.
    2. Develop a mechanism to track the development of nutrient criteria in each state so we can share strategies of development.
    3. Develop white paper and opinion pieces as the need arrives. A current suggestion is billions of dollars for millions of ??.
    4. Provide repository for education resources both as an aggregator and new information.
    5. Form linkages on nutrient pollution with SERA17 and SERA6.

    Novel/emerging issues

    #4 under Key Issues

    Barriers to engagement

    1. Not knowing faculty across the region and their work
    2. Resources to work more closely

    Identify missing disciplines

    1. Aquatic scientist
    2. Entomologist
    3. Toxicologist
  • Water Quantity

    Key issues

    1. Irrigation water use efficiency ag/urban.
    2. True cost of water/water rights
    3. Statewide water plans/water budget
    4. Water use and energy/bioenergy
    5. Adapting water use to drought
    6. Climate variability and water supply
    7. Water reuse

    Products/outputs

    1. Review paper outlook for water competition (synthesis of USGS water reports and USDA irrigation census; economic impact and landuse change projection)
    2. Grant proposal for training on moisture sensors for county agents/consultants/municipalities
    3. Fact sheet on farm water storage
    4. Review paper on irrigation efficiency and extension docs with economics
    5. Cost/benefit of on farm water storage
    6. Ecological impacts of magnitude, spatial distribution, timing of withdrawals
    7. Website: communicate objective information about state water plan

    Novel/emerging issues

    #6 above

    Barriers to engagement

    1. Ignorance/lack of sense of crisis
    2. Potential to engage business that lack of water is a threat (e.g. Atlanta)
    3. Risk of crop yield decrease

    Identify missing disciplines

    1. Legal expertise. Differing water laws across states.
    2. Social scientist/behavioral.