An Approach for Prioritizing Natural Infrastructure Practices to Mitigate Flood and Nitrate Risks in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin

Keith E. Schilling; Jerry Mount; Kelly M. Suttles; Eileen L. McLellan; Phillip W. Gassman; Michael J. White; Jeffrey G. Arnold

doi:10.3390/land12020276

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An Approach for Prioritizing Natural Infrastructure Practices to Mitigate Flood and Nitrate Risks in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin

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An Approach for Prioritizing Natural Infrastructure Practices to Mitigate Flood and Nitrate Risks in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin

Keith E. Schilling, Jerry Mount, Kelly M. Suttles, Eileen L. McLellan, Phillip W. Gassman, Michael J. White and Jeffrey G. Arnold

Land (Basel), Vol.12(2), p.276

01/01/2023

DOI: 10.3390/land12020276

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Abstract

Risks from flooding and poor water quality are evident at a range of spatial scales and climate change will exacerbate these risks in the future. Natural infrastructure (NI), consisting of structural or perennial vegetation, measures that provide multiple ecosystem benefits have the potential to reduce flood and water quality risks. In this study, we intersected watershed-scale risks to flooding and nitrate export in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB) of the central U.S. with potential locations of seven NI practices (row crop conversion, water, and sediment control basins, depressional wetlands, nitrate-removal wetlands, riparian buffers, and floodplain levees and row crop change) to prioritize where NI can be most effective for combined risk reduction at watershed scales. Spatial data from a variety of publicly-available databases were analyzed at a 10 m grid cell to locate NI practices using a geographic information system (GIS). NI practices were presented at the regional basin scale and local Iowa-Cedar watershed in eastern Iowa to show individual practice locations. A prioritization scheme was developed to show the optimal watersheds for deploying NI practices to minimize flooding and water quality risks in the MARB. Among the 84 HUC4 basins in the MARB, 28 are located in the Upper Mississippi and Ohio Rivers basins. The Wabash and Iowa-Cedar basins (HUCs 0512 and 0708, respectively) within these basins were found to rank among the uppermost quintile for nearly all practices evaluated, indicating widespread opportunities for NI implementation. Study results are a launching point from which to improve the connections between watershed scale risks and the potential use of NI practices to reduce these risks.

Environmental Sciences & Ecology

Environmental Studies

Life Sciences & Biomedicine

Science & Technology

Details

Title: Subtitle: An Approach for Prioritizing Natural Infrastructure Practices to Mitigate Flood and Nitrate Risks in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin
Creators: Keith E. Schilling - University of Iowa
Jerry Mount - University of Iowa
Kelly M. Suttles - Environm Def Fund, Raleigh, NC 27607 USA
Eileen L. McLellan - Environm Def Fund, Washington, DC 20009 USA
Phillip W. Gassman - Iowa State University
Michael J. White - US Dept Agr, Agr Res Serv, Grassland Soil & Water Res Lab, Temple, TX 76502 USA
Jeffrey G. Arnold - US Dept Agr, Agr Res Serv, Grassland Soil & Water Res Lab, Temple, TX 76502 USA
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Land (Basel), Vol.12(2), p.276
DOI: 10.3390/land12020276
ISSN: 2073-445X
eISSN: 2073-445X
Publisher: Mdpi
Number of pages: 24
Grant note: name: Environmental Defense Fund, award: 1761772
Language: English
Date published: 01/01/2023
Academic Unit: Earth and Environmental Sciences; IIHR--Hydroscience and Engineering
Record Identifier: 9984383892402771

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