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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Assessment Of Concentrated Flow Through Riparian Buffers, Michael G. Dosskey, Matthew J. Helmers, Dean E. Eisenhauer, Thomas G. Franti, Kyle D. Hoagland
Assessment Of Concentrated Flow Through Riparian Buffers, Michael G. Dosskey, Matthew J. Helmers, Dean E. Eisenhauer, Thomas G. Franti, Kyle D. Hoagland
Matthew J. Helmers
Concentrated flow of surface runoff from agricultural fields may limit the capability of riparian buffers to remove pollutants. This study was conducted on four farms in southeastern Nebraska to develop a method for assessing the extent of concentrated flow in riparian buffers and for evaluating the impact that it has on sediment-trapping efficiency. Field methods consisted of mapping field runoff areas and their pathways to and through riparian buffers to streams. Mathematical relationships were developed from a model (VFSMOD) that estimates sediment-trapping efficiency from the ratio of buffer area to field runoff area. Among the farms surveyed, riparian buffers averaged …
An Overland Flow Sampler For Use In Vegetative Filters, D. Eisenhauer, Matthew J. Helmers, J. Brothers, M. Dosskey, T. Franti, A. Boldt, B. Strahm
An Overland Flow Sampler For Use In Vegetative Filters, D. Eisenhauer, Matthew J. Helmers, J. Brothers, M. Dosskey, T. Franti, A. Boldt, B. Strahm
Matthew J. Helmers
Vegetative filters (VF) are used to remove contaminants from agricultural runoff and improve surface water quality. State and federal cost-share funds are available to encourage landowners to install VF. The USDA-National Conservation Buffer Initiative calls for 3.2 million km of buffers to be installed by the year 2002. Numerous experimental plot and modeling studies have quantified the removal of sediments and other non-point source (NPS) contaminants from agricultural runoff by VF. Almost all of these studies have been conducted under controlled settings, including artificial sheet flow conditions, and using expensive, labor-intensive measurement systems. There is a critical need for simple, …
Modeling Vegetative Filter Performance With Vfsmod, Matthew J. Helmers, Dean E. Eisenhauer, Michael G. Dosskey, Thomas G. Franti
Modeling Vegetative Filter Performance With Vfsmod, Matthew J. Helmers, Dean E. Eisenhauer, Michael G. Dosskey, Thomas G. Franti
Matthew J. Helmers
The model VFSMOD was used to investigate the effect of varying watershed characteristics and buffer dimensions on the sediment trapping efficiency of vegetative filters. This investigation allows for a better understanding of how watershed characteristics, buffer dimensions, and storm characteristics impact the performance of vegetative filters. Using VFSMOD, relationships that estimate sediment trapping efficiency from the ratio of filter area and field area were developed for different sites. These relationships have been applied for field assessment of concentrated flow.