Evaluation of conservation systems: Soils and crops - Pilot Watershed Study, SWEEP

The mandate of the Soil and Water Environmental Enhancement Program (SWEEP) was to reduce phosphorus loadings to the Lake Erie basin and to maintain or improve agricultural productivity by reducing or correcting soil erosion and degradation. Conservation cropping and tillage systems were identified as the best means to achieve these goals over such a wide geographic region as the Lake Erie watershed. The Pilot Watershed Study (PWS) was developed as a means of evaluating the impact of conservation systems on soil erosion and degradation, water quality and crop production when implemented on a watershed basis. The specific objective of this study was to determine the nature and degree of changes in relevant soil and water quality parameters and crop yields as influenced by "basin-wide" soil and water conservation practices.