New England NEMO (Nonpoint Education for Municipal Offices)

Research: Understanding Watershed Processes

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Improving our understanding of watershed-level processes is key to improving our watershed management decisions. The complex relationships of land use to water resources, the pathways and processing of pollutants and the short- and long-term impacts of those pollutants are poorly understood. The New England Land Grant Universities are involved in a wide range of research projects aimed at understanding watershed processes related to water quality, including:


Watershed Best Management Practices
The Jordan Cove Urban Watershed Project external link the University of Connecticut is designed to determine the water quality and quantity benefits of using pollution prevention best management practices (BMPs) in a residential subdivision in one of the Section 319 National Monitoring Program Projects, through the paired watershed approach over two different time periods (calibration and treatment) and three different watersheds (one control and two treatments) they have found that BMP peak flow is 1/11th traditional peak flow.

stream in the woodsResearchers at the URI Watershed Hydrology Laboratory external link have worked in riparian zones, streams and reservoirs to refine the understanding of nitrogen removal in watersheds. Their results are translated into methods that can be adapted to available spatial databases and enhance our ability to target high value areas for protection and restoration to improve or maintain water quality.

The UVM Constructed Wetlands Center for Research, Education, and Outreach external link enables researchers to examine the impact of plant selection and technological modifications on the constructed wetland system and its effectiveness as a BMP.


Watershed Responses to Stress
Spatial variability among lakes is often high making it difficult to conduct regional assessments of lake response to stress. A study at UMaine uses landscape principles to interpret spatial patterns external linkamong Maine lakes in their response to disturbances , i.e., drought.


Exchange of Information
The University of Connecticut houses the NEMO Network external link, a CSREES National Facilitation Project. This project provides coordination, training, and communication services to new and existing NEMO projects that are led by Land Grant Universities. Through these national efforts, watershed processes are better understood in local communities.

National Research Initiative logo Indicates work supported by the
USDA-CSREES National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program external link .