Grassed waterways

Benefits of grassed waterways

• Protects drainage route from gully erosion
• Acts as a filter by absorbing surface water chemical content
• Provides wildlife with a habitat

Wetlands

Wetland soils have particular characteristics such as being water-saturated with fine texture particles due to being under water for an extended period of time. These conditions favor hydrophilic or water tolerant plants. Plants frequently found in constructed wetlands are cattails, soft wishes, marsh marigolds, burr reeds, water iris, horsetail and arrowhead.

Role of plants in wetlands

• Act as physical settling mechanism by slowing down the water flow and allowing the suspended solids to settle out
• Provides a surface area and a litter layer for the growth of microorganisms
• Transports oxygen to and from the root zone, creating an area called the rhizosphere which is ideal for nitrification and denitrification (removal of nitrogen from wetlands)

Other benefits of wetlands

• Offer source of water in case of fire
• Within the farming habitat, wetlands provide recreational opportunities Allow farm forestry

(Best Management Practices; Water Management)

Sources of wetland damage

• Using wetlands as a dumping site
• Animal grazing within the wetland Clearcutting
• Drying off or overflooding the vegetation with excessive water uptake or input
• Construction of new drains through wetlands

Windbreaks and shelterbelts

The primary purpose of a windbreak or shelterbelt is to create a barrier that reduces the speed of the wind, and lowers its ability to carry soil away from fields. A shelterbelt is essentially a wider windbreak, with six or more rows. The advantages of windbreaks extend beyond erosion control. Livestock benefit from protection from winter storms and summer sun, crop yields increase in sheltered fields, energy requirements decrease in sheltered buildings and neighbours enjoy a reduction in dust and noise levels from adjacent activity.

Interesting facts about windbreaks

• Tree windbreaks protect an area approximately 10-15 times the height of the tree
• Windbreaks also provide protection for insect pollinators and interesting habitat for other species of animal (such as birds) and plants
• Potential source of firewood, fruit, or nuts
• Windbreaks should be properly thinned and replanted as required
• Gaps in a windbreak create wind tunnels
• Grass wind strips can substitute for tree windbreaks in areas of limited or high value land, and protect an area approximately 5-7 times the height of the grasses, but are less interesting than tree or bush windbreak for biodiversity
• Well established windbreaks can reduce up to 30% of the quantity of dust and 1/3 of the decibel level for noise
• Windbreaks add to the value of rural landscapes

(Vers des choix durables, leaflets 6 and 7)

The above techniques are used to prevent soil degradation and water contamination. But restoring soil that has already deteriorated represents a much harder task. Deforested areas can certainly be reforested, especially on steep slopes, with fast-growing species such as the ipil-ipil tree. In the gullies and along stream banks, trees can also be planted to stop further erosion, but it is unlikely that the crops could be grown again at these places for some time, especially if erosion has been heavy. Sometimes, to give an undisturbed start to vegetation, temporary gully dams made of brushwood or timber may be necessary.

Pasture land which has been damaged can be repaired more easily. Often, resting the land for a year or two may be enough. Restoring cropland can be done in a similar fashion. The important thing is to build up fertility to a point where vegetation can flourish again, and then introducing deep-rooting plants so they break up the compacted soil.

Water protection management

Watercourses have many uses within an agricultural milieu. Beside providing aquatic habitat for fish and shelter for other wildlife, watercourses and lakes are recipients for ground and surface water. Good management methods protect watercourse soil erosion and water contamination by reducing the amount of sediment and nutrients reaching waterways. Checking the condition of stream banks and tile outlets regularly for soil erosion damage is the first management practice for further improvements.

• Watercourse protection practices (refer to previous section)
• Stabilization of water entry structures
• Vegetative strips (see previous section)
• Grassed waterways (see previous section)
• Farm pond
• Water and sedimentation control basins
• Constructed wetlands (see previous section)
• Limited livestock access to watercourse (see previous section)

Water quality management at the watershed scale

Water is one of the most important resources. The quality of water is relative to the uses made of it. The same water may be polluted for human consumption but can still be of good quality for fishing. Point sources of pollution refers to the actual location of the pollution, while non-point pollution cannot easily be targeted and is considered the accumulation of pollution from unidentified yet common sources. Unidentifiable sources are present along the length of waterways, from upstream to estuary discharge.

To be effective, water quality management must take into account the entire watershed, which includes the designated river as well as the related waterways draining into it. Grouping together producers from the same watershed creates a positive dynamic for awareness and information exchange on agricultural pollution and enhances the prospects for positive changes. The evaluation of the overall health of the river and the identification of contaminants and sources of degradation leads to the promotion of good management practices which also benefit soil and water conservation.

Profile

Created in 1993 under the new "Entente Auxiliaire Canada-Québec" for sustainable development, the water management project of the Corporation du bassin versant ruisseau St-Esprit has reached its objective after only 3 years of work. Producers with land draining into the upper portions of St-Esprit River were grouped together to establish adequate cultivation practices for improving water quality. Twelve kilometers along the stream were stabilized and protected.

In collaboration with McGill University and supervised by an agronomist-advisor, producers have adopted environmental practices in their farming operations. The surface area seeded to green manures has been increased by 80%, the moldboard plow has been substituted with a chisel plow on 80% of the fields sown to cereals, soybeans or early vegetables, N, P and K inputs have been reduced by 21%, 42% and 37% respectively, and a pest scouting program has been established for vegetable producers. Watercourse protection and stabilization, conservation tillage, fall cover crops, and fertility management were some of the most widely adopted conservation practices. The secret of this success has been the direct link with producer awareness, training, agronomic trials and stabilizing factors. In comparison, based on other watershed intervention projects, significant changes in river water quality normally takes 5 to 10 years.

Measurements of water velocity and depth combine with water sample analysis taken over years, days and even minutes give a general but fair picture of the annual loads of total nitrogen, phosphorus, sediments and pesticides from fields and carried in the river.

(Courtesy of Peter Enright, McGill University)

(I could get good pictures from Prof. Enright or Prof Madramootoo)

Establishing a new philosophy towards soil conservation:

Following are some guidelines for action that might be followed to ensure changes in society's approach to the issue.

Inform and educate

Education is the key to long term changes. Farmers need to have a better understanding of soils and water resources to conserve them. Organizations such as FAO help a lot but there is still a lot of education to be done at the stakeholder and the government levels.

Conflict resolution

Conflicts over natural resources are intensifying around the world. Land uses and the demand for redistribution are no longer the exception. Stakeholders are often in conflict since they do not have the same aims and activities. Proper conflict resolution strategies must be adopted so people can start to work together instead of individually, and obtain changes that bring benefits to everybody.

Policies

Elaborate policies and regulations for soil conservation, ones that make clear the national goals for soil conservation. Once these are formulated, proper legislation may be prepared to help in implementation. Punitive legislation, according to FAO, is unsuccessful: instead, offering rewards and incentives works way better.

Help for the farmer:

The farmer, without whom very little can be accomplished in soil conservation, must be given financial and technical support to be able to attach a higher priority to soil conservation. Training people, encouraging the formation of land user associations and allocating funds to solve the farmers immediate problems are certainly a good investment for efficient soil conservation program.