Floodplain sedimentation, bank erosion, and biogeochemical cycling of sediment and nutrients in Smith Creek (Virginia) 2012-2015: U.S. Geological Survey data release

Publication Date

2017-07-17

Start Date

2012-04-05

End Date

2015-03-20

Gillespie, J.L., Noe, G.B., Hupp, C.R., Gellis, A.C., and Schenk, E.R., 2017, Floodplain sedimentation, bank erosion, and biogeochemical cycling of sediment and nutrients in Smith Creek (Virginia) 2012-2015: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7Z036BD.

Type: Related Primary Publication

In May of 2009 Executive Order 13508 was issued for the Protection and Restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, and called for a coordinated strategy among government agencies for the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) were tasked to initiate enhanced monitoring of water-quality conditions in small agricultural and urban watersheds to help document the effectiveness of conservation practices and restoration activities. Smith Creek, as part of this effort, became known as a 'showcase' watershed because of its agricultural land use, small size, and the active conservation efforts occurring within. Sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus are among the top pollutants affecting water quality within the Chesapeake Bay. These data were collected to quantify rates of inputs, exports, and cycling of sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus in Smith Creek to assess the current and possible future impacts on water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.

ScienceBase WMS

• USGS Data Release Products

Data source

Input directly