EGU25-12661, updated on 15 Mar 2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-12661
EGU General Assembly 2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Optimizing Best Management Practices for Efficient Sediment Load Reduction in Agricultural Watersheds
Prasad Daggupati, Hamid Mohebzadeh, Asim Biswas, Ramesh Rudra, Ben Devris, and Wanhong Yang
Prasad Daggupati et al.
  • University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada (pdaggupa@uoguelph.ca)

To reduce the potential threat of soil loss due to ephemeral gullies, it is crucial to adopt Best Management Practices (BMPs) that prevent damage to landscapes by reducing sediments load. This study combines two approaches to evaluate and optimize BMPs for reducing sediment load from sheet/rill and ephemeral gully erosion. The research applied a novel methodology integrating a genetic algorithm with the Annualized Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution model (AnnAGNPS) to optimize the model and also strategically select and place BMPs in Southern Ontario, Canada, to reduce sediment load cost-effectively. The study assessed five BMPs: cover crops, grassed waterways, no-till, conservation tillage, and riparian buffer strips. Considering the average annual sediment load, riparian buffer strips were consistently successful in decreasing average annual sediment load of sheet/rill erosion, with 69% reduction efficiency. Similarly, grassed waterways were the most effective BMPs for reducing average annual sediment load of ephemeral gully erosion, with an efficiency of 81%. These BMPs were integrated into a cost-optimization framework, demonstrating that strategic placement of BMPs could enhance their efficiency. The optimized placement reduced sheet/rill sediment load by 84.6%, ephemeral gully by 85.4%, and total erosion by 86.3%, achieving these results at minimal cost. The study highlights the significance of targeted BMP placement rather than uniform implementation across entire watersheds. This integrated approach is a viable solution for watersheds with limited resources, facilitating decision-makers and aiding in the adoption of BMPs that can comprehensively reduce sediment load. The developed model in the current study can be applied by decision makers in other watersheds with limited resources for implementing BMPs.

How to cite: Daggupati, P., Mohebzadeh, H., Biswas, A., Rudra, R., Devris, B., and Yang, W.: Optimizing Best Management Practices for Efficient Sediment Load Reduction in Agricultural Watersheds, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-12661, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-12661, 2025.