Food
Environment
Trade
Risk
BiorenewablesWatersheds: Raccoon River Watershed (RRW)
The RRW receives water from portions of 17 Iowa counties (almost 9,400 km2) and flows approximately 300 km from its origin in Buena Vista County to its confluence with the Des Moines River in the City of Des Moines. Water from the Raccoon River has been the major source of drinking water for the central Iowa communities.
Relevant Projects
- 2009-10: USEPA. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A Market Feasibility Assessment for Water Quality Trading and Reverse Auctions in the Raccoon River watershed. Investigators: C.L. Kling, P.W. Gassman, M. Jha, K. Schilling, C. Wolter, S. Rabotyagov. Amount: $200,000.
- 2009: USEPA. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Development of SWAT Hydrologic Parameters for Specific Iowa Landform Regions. Investigators: M. Buyck, P.W. Gassman, M. Jha, K.E. Schilling, C.F. Wolter. Amount: $76,797.
- 2006-07: Iowa Farm Bureau, Leopold Center for Sustainable Development, Iowa Soybean Association. Iowa Corn Growers Association. Assessment of Conservation Practices on Agricultural Cropland in Iowa. Investigators: C.L. Kling. P.W. Gassman, M. Jha, H. Feng, and S. Secchi. Amount: $55,000.
- 2004-05: Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Adopting Conservation Practices on Agricultural Cropland in Iowa and Possible Nutrient Standards. Investigators: C.L. Kling, H. Feng, S. Secchi, P.W. Gassman, L. Kurkalova. Amount: $53,360.
Journal Publications
- Jha, M.., C.F. Wolter, P.W. Gassman, and K.E. Schilling. 2010 (in press) Assessment of TMDL implementation strategies for nitrate impairment of the Raccoon River, Iowa. Journal of Environmental Quality.
- Feng, H., M. Jha, P.W. Gassman. 2009. The allocation of nutrient load reduction across a watershed: Assessing delivery coefficients as an implementation tool. Review of Agricultural Economics 31(1):183-204. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9353.2008.01432.x.
- Jha, M., S. Rabotyagov, P.W. Gassman. 2009. Optimal placement of conservation practices using genetic algorithm with SWAT. International Agricultural Engineering Journal 18(1-2):41-50.
- Schilling, K.E., M. Jha, Y.-K. Zhang, P.W. Gassman, C.F. Wolter. 2008. Impact of land use and land cover change on the water balance of a large agricultural watershed: Historical effects and future directions. Water Resources Research 44: W00A09. doi:10.1029/2007WR006644.
- Jha, M., J.G. Arnold, P.W. Gassman. 2007. Water quality modeling for the Raccoon River Watershed using SWAT. Transactions of the ASABE 50(2):479-493.
- Burkart, C., M. Jha. 2007. Nitrate Reduction Approaches. Choices: Food, Farm, and Resource Issues 22(2):103-107.
Report
- Schilling, K.E., C.F. Wolter, D.E. Christiansen, D.J. Schnoebelen, and M. Jha. 2008. Water quality improvement plan for Raccoon River, Iowa. TMDL Report. Watershed Improvement Section, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 202 p.
Conference/Workshop Proceedings/Presentations
- Jha, M., S. Rabotyagov, P.W. Gassman, H. Feng, and T. Campbell. Optimal placement of conservation practices in the Raccoon River Watershed in Iowa via a Genetic Algorithm SWAT interface. International Conference on 21st Century Watershed Technology: Improving Water Quality and Environment. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). March 29 - April 3, 2008, Concepcion, Chile.
- Jha, M., C.F. Wolter, K.E. Schilling, P.W. Gassman, and S. Secchi. Development of a TMDL for the Raccoon River in West Central Iowa using SWAT. American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASABE) 4th conference on Watershed Management to Meet Water Quality Standards and TMDLs. March 11-12, 2007, San Antonio, Texas.
- Feng, H. and M. Jha and P.W. Gassman. Allocating nutrient load reduction across a watershed: Implications of different principles. American Agricultural Economics Association (AEAA) Annual Meeting. July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California.
- Jha, M., K.E. Schilling, P.W. Gassman, C.F. Wolter, and J.G. Arnold. SWAT modeling for the Raccoon River Watershed in Iowa. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Annual International Meeting. July 9-12, 2006, Portland, Oregon.