This document discusses water quality issues in Kentucky related to excess nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural and other sources. It provides background on how these nutrients can cause harmful algal blooms, dead zones, and other issues. While Kentucky ranks relatively high (6th for nitrogen, 5th for phosphorus) for nutrient contributions compared to other states, the document notes the Green River basin only contributes an estimated 2% of nutrients. It also outlines Kentucky's agricultural water quality laws and nutrient management planning guidelines for farmers, which regulate manure and fertilizer application rates based on soil testing and other factors to prevent excess nutrients from polluting waterways.

1. Water Quality in
Kentucky

2. Questions About the Current Water Quality Status of Kentucky
Current water quality status of Kentucky compared to other states or other parts of Kentucky. Are we protecting our
water resources better than other states or better locally than other parts of Kentucky?
What types of changes can farmers expect to see in the next 1-5 years to 5-10 years?
How might the legislation and EPA/Government laws change within this 1-5 or 5-10 year span and how would that
affect our local farmers?

3. Water Quality Background
Water Quality Issues typically center
around two elements in the water:
Nitrogen and Phosphorus. An excess of
either will cause problems
In nature ironically—or more likely
because of this—these two nutrients are
the hardest for a plant to obtain and are
often considered growth limitations.
HAB from excess PDead Zone in Gulf Region

4. When nitrates enter groundwater, that
nitrate-laden groundwater may be
pumped from water wells into homes.
When drunk, it enters the bloodstream
and interferes with the blood’s ability
to carry oxygen, essentially lowering
the available O2 in the body. Most
adults can handle this, but babies are
extremely vulnerable and nitrates will
cause them to have “blue-baby
syndrome” and suffer from lack of
oxygen. This is not a third world
problem. Certain counties in Illinois
have had to issue nitrate warnings in
recent years.
One problem is Nitrate-laden
groundwater infiltrating drinking
water sources

5. Because P and N both promote
growth, in freshwater systems when
found in excess, blue green algae
(cyanobacteria, really) sometimes
bloom because of phosphorus and, if
enough nitrate is also present, the
cyanobacteria release toxins. Lake
Eerie had an incident in 2014 that
caused the water supply of the city
of Toledo, OH to become
undrinkable and shut off.
https://robertscribbler.com/2014/08/04/large-
algae-bloom-still-ongoing-as-toledo-officials-
declare-water-safe-to-drink/
Another problem are the
Harmful Algal Blooms

6. Don’t think it doesn’t touch us too.
That same year saw 15 Kentucky Lakes
where HAB warnings were issued and
in 2015 a 650 miles stretch of the Ohio
River was affected. Luckily this bloom
didn’t release the toxins that shut
down the water supply, it simply made
it dangerous to swim in. (The most
recent was issued on Oct 24, 2016 for
Briggs Lake, near Russellville)
http://naturalsociety.com/health-officials-in-ohio-and-
kentucky-extend-toxic-algae-bloom-advisory/
FRANKFORT , Ky. (Sept. 18,2015)

8. This is a problem all over the world, not just
in America
The other problem is the affect on saltwater
ecosystems

9. Our watershed affects the Gulf of Mexico and is part of the
Dead Zone Problem there
What happens is all the minor
excess nitrates from thousands
of acres travel through the
river systems and then are
suddenly and collectively
dumped where the rivers meet
the Gulf.

10. http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/deadzone/index.html
Sediment-laden water pours into the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers. Credit:
Norman Kuring, Ocean Color Team.
Again, this pollution is partly the result of excess
sediment and P, but here the main problem is the
N.

11. The addition of N stimulates
the growth of algae. (more
nitrogen = more growth)
When the algae dies, it sinks
to the bottom and in the
decomposition process, all
the dissolved oxygen in the
water is used up. It leaves no
dissolved oxygen left for the
sea creatures, so if they can’t
swim away, they suffocate
and die.

12. http://www.gulfhypoxia.net/
“The hypoxic zone in the Northern Gulf of
Mexico forms each summer and can extend
up to eighty miles offshore1”
1Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan 2008
The size of the hypoxic zone shifts yearly,
and generally shrinks in drought years. The
lowest level was in 1988.

13. http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/sparrow/gulf_findings/
The USGS attributes 70% of this delivery of
N and P to agricultural inputs (because the
dead zone begins in the spring/summer
and wans in cooler months?) Livestock
Operations are considered a bigger
contributor in P loading and Row Crop in N.
They do identify other sources, though.
“In total, agricultural sources contribute
more than 70 percent of the nitrogen and
phosphorus delivered to the Gulf, versus
only 9 to 12% from urban sources. Such
findings show the dominance of
agricultural nonpoint sources outside
urban areas in the Mississippi River Basin.”

14. Chapter 1 – Setting the Stage
2) Identify sources in Kentucky –
a. KPDES outfalls (10-25%)
◦ Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP)
◦ Industry
◦ Power plants
◦ Municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4)
◦ Stormwater construction
◦ Industrial stormwater
◦ Privately owned wastewater treatment plants
From Nutrient Strategy Stakeholder Meeting
http://water.ky.gov/Pages/NutrientStrategy.aspx
Point Source:
The EPA has tasked the
states with a goal of 20%
reduction of nutrient
delivery. This slide is taken
from KY DOW Nutrient
Reduction Taskforce Slide.
They Identify these Point
Sources of pollution, all non
Agricultural

15. Chapter 1 – Setting the Stage
b. NPS (Non-point Source~ the rest)
◦ Atmospheric deposition
◦ Urban non-MS4
◦ Lawn maintenance (including golf courses)
◦ Failing septic tanks
◦ Crop agriculture
◦ Livestock and pasture agriculture
From Nutrient Strategy Stakeholder Meeting
http://water.ky.gov/Pages/NutrientStrategy.aspx
Ky DOW Nutrient Reduction Taskforce Slide
And these Non-Point
Sources of Pollution
(NPS-can’t be
pinpointed to an
exact origination,
including
Agricultural)

16. Current Water Quality Status of Kentucky
What is the current water quality status of Kentucky compared to
other states or other parts of Kentucky.
Are we protecting our water resources better than other states or
better locally than other parts of Kentucky?
Well, good news and bad news…….

17. http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/sparrow/gulf_findings/ES&T_states.pdf
Compared to other
states KY ranks 6th in
N source loading and
5th in P. This is partly
because the soils in
the Bluegrass region
were developed out
of a limestone base
and so are naturally
high in P. We are also
the largest cattle
producer east of the
MS river. ?????
OTHER STATES

18. http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/sparrow/gulf_findings/delivery.html
Bluegrass
Region
Dry
States Mississippi River

19. http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/sparrow/gulf_findings/delivery.html
If you’ll look at these maps you’ll see the majority of the sources span the cornbelt and/or follow deep watercourses

20. Have (give or take) data on
9 Basins in the Upper and Mid MS
4 in the Lower MS (50%)
4 in the Lower OHIO* (29%)
4 in the Upper OHIO (10%)
Lower MO (10%)
Red and Ouachita- (1%)
So the question: how are we doing
compared to other watersheds??
Good news and bad news there too.

21. WABASH RIVER
20%
ILLINOIS RIVER
12%
IOWA RIVER
7%
DES MOINES RIVER
6%
TENNESSEE RIVER
5%
MINNESOTA RIVER
4%
ROCK RIVER
4%
PLATTE RIVER
4%
SCIOTO RIVER
4%
WHITE RIVER
3%
GREAT MIAMI RIVER
3%
YAZOO RIVER
3%
BLACK
RIVER
3%
KANSAS RIVER
3%
CUMBERLAND RIVER
2%
GREEN RIVER
2%
SKUNK
RIVER
2%
ST FRANCIS RIVER
2%
OSAGE RIVER
2%
WAPSIPINICON
RIVER
2%
KASKASKIA RIVER
2%
MUSKINGUM
RIVER
2%
GRAND RIVER
2%
WISCONSIN RIVER
1%
ALLEGHENY RIVER
1%
20% Reduction: Need these 25 Large Drainages:
Current Total Nutrient Contributions (N & P)
Slide Credit: Carrie Vollmer-Sanders, TNC
The Wabash,
Tennesse,
Cumberland,
and the
Green Rivers
are all in the
the Lower
OHIO.
Illinois, Iowa,
Des Moines,
Minnestoa,
Rock and
Skunk are in
the Upper
Mississippi

22. Wabash-20%
Cumberland
2%
Allegheny
1%
Muskingum
2%
Great Miami 3 %
GREEN 2%
OHIO RIVER WATERSHED
So good news: The Green
River only contributes 2%!!!!
Bad news: All the
2% and lowers equal
to about the highest
(Wabash)

23. BASIN Drainage Unit
TN: Delivered
Accumulated Load
(metric tons, minus
Atmos Depo)
TP: Delivered
accumulated load
(metric tons)
Total
Nutrients
(metric tons)
Total Nutrients
(tons) at generic
40% reduction
Total Nutrients
REDUCED: Generic
(tons)
20% Reduction
TARGET:
GENERIC
WABASH RIVER Lower Ohio 132,370 8,343 140,713 56,285.16 281,974.15 95.58%
ILLINOIS RIVER Upper Mississippi 79,190 4,748 83,939 33,575.41
IOWA RIVER Upper Mississippi 48,313 2,478 50,791 20,316.44
DES MOINES RIVER Upper Mississippi 40,981 2,460 43,441 17,376.34
TENNESSEE RIVER Lower Ohio 32,074 5,165 37,240 14,895.83
MINNESOTA RIVER Upper Mississippi 29,001 1,557 30,558 12,223.15
ROCK RIVER Upper Mississippi 27,900 1,870 29,770 11,907.83
PLATTE RIVER Lower Missouri 21,115 4,276 25,391 10,156.52
SCIOTO RIVER Upper Ohio 23,554 1,509 25,063 10,025.06
WHITE RIVER Lower Mississippi 18,808 3,286 22,094 8,837.64
GREAT MIAMI RIVER Upper Ohio 20,548 1,211 21,759 8,703.75
YAZOO RIVER Lower Mississippi 16,143 3,070 19,213 7,685.33
BLACK RIVER Red and Ouachita 15,270 2,766 18,036 7,214.48
KANSAS RIVER Lower Missouri 13,907 3,835 17,742 7,096.69
CUMBERLAND RIVER Lower Ohio 14,636 2,898 17,534 7,013.51
GREEN RIVER Lower Ohio 14,405 2,066 16,471 6,588.34
SKUNK RIVER Upper Mississippi 12,775 1,113 13,888 5,555.27
ST FRANCIS RIVER Lower Mississippi 11,708 1,620 13,329 5,331.41
OSAGE RIVER Lower Mississippi 10,788 2,158 12,946 5,178.47
WAPSIPINICON RIVER Upper Mississippi 12,304 371 12,674 5,069.80
KASKASKIA RIVER Upper Mississippi 10,662 1,628 12,290 4,915.88
MUSKINGUMRIVER Upper Ohio 10,534 1,186 11,721 4,688.25
GRAND RIVER Lower Missouri 9,004 2,488 11,493 4,597.07
WISCONSIN RIVER Upper Mississippi 8,420 669 9,088 3,635.39
ALLEGHENY RIVER Upper Ohio 6,736 1,016 7,753 3,101.14
20% Reduction Target Basins: 96%
(25 HUC-6 basins; assuming 40% flat rate)
20% nutrient reduction = removal of ~295,020 metric

24. What types of changes can farmers expect to see in the next 1-5 years to
5-10 years?
Difficult to say, but let’s talk where we are now

25. How might the legislation and EPA/Government laws change
within this 1-5 or 5-10 year span and how would that affect our
local farmers?
Well, let’s talk about where we are now first.
In 1994, the
Legislature
passed the
Agriculture
Water Quality
Act that made it
law that
everyone owning
10 acres or more
and engaged in
Ag production
needed a plan
for their
operation to
prevent pollution
of the waterways
of the
Commonwealth

26. To this end they developed a Nutrient Management Calculator
designed to help you meet and understand the requirements.

27. When an operation
applies inorganic
fertilizers only, the only
requirement for the NMP
is to take soil tests,
develop realistic yield
averages and follow the
recommendations of
AGR-1.

28. Application
rates should
also be
recorded.
(Worksheet 3)

29. Worksheet 3
when fertilizer is
applied as a
solid

30. When manures are applied it gets
a little more difficult. Manures
have a high nitrogen content, but
also decent amounts of the
mineral nutrients. Although the N
can be lost either through
denitrification or ammonia
volatization, the other elements
remain. That’s why adding
manure based on the nitrogen
needs of a crop can be dangerous.

31. Crops differ in their uptake of nutrients and so
how much can be applied will vary
According to ID-211, “Manure application rates
should be based on soil test results, realistic crop
yield averages (5-10 years) and crop removal
rates…. Application rates must also consider
fertilizer credits from starter fertilizers or other
nutrients sources. Application timing and
application method will also affect manure
nutrient availability and must be considered when
calculation manure application rates.” (p. 7)
ID-211. “Kentucky Nutrient Management Planning Guidelines (KyNMP)”. Can be found at
http://www.bae.uky.edu/AWQPT/nutrient.htm

32. If it’s not possible to apply
immediately, manure should be stored
so that it
1.) does not contribute to pollution and
2.) can retain the most nitrogen.
In any case, even with best efforts, some of
the Nitrogen in manure will be lost, yet the
other elements remain in the system. Over
time they can build up.

33. When Soil Test Phosphours (STP)
results are less than 400
lbs/acre, then nutrient
applications can be made based
on crop nitrogen requirements.
When STP results are between 401-
600, then Phosphorus can be applied
at rates equal to the amount
estimated to be removed by plants.
This keeps the overall levels static.
When STP results are between 601-
800 lbs/acre, P application rates
should not be more than half of the
what is expected to be removed by
the crop.
And when STP results are greater than
800 lbs/acre, Phosphorus or manure
MAY NOT BE APPLIED to the soil.

34. Kentucky studies indicate that until soil test results
show over 200 pounds P/acre, additions of P to
the soil do not equal the same amount seen in the
soil solution. In other words, at very low levels,
only about a quarter of the P applied will show up
in the soil solution test. The rest clings to soil
particles are ties up with other elements and is
unavailable. This ratio gap gets progressively
narrower, until about 240 pounds to the acres. At
about this point, an extra pound of P applied
equals an extra pound seen in the soil solution.
Essentially, the soil has adsorbed all that it can.
This makes it subject to leaching and contributes
to eutrophication.
Phosphorus build up is rather complex. If P levels
are low enough, most of the extra P applied will
be adsorbed to the soil or precipitate out of
solution and not actually be “seen” in a soil test
or be available to the plant.

35. https://robertscribbler.com/2014/08/04/large-
algae-bloom-still-ongoing-as-toledo-officials-
declare-water-safe-to-drink/
That’s where we are now. What can we
expect? Again, it’s going to depend on if
we can take care of this problem by
voluntary efforts or not.
Remember the incident in Lake Erie
in 2014? Just prior to that industry
stakeholders (including the fertilizer
companies) had gotten together to
come up with a plan and had drafted
the 4R program.
When Lake Erie was so negatively
affected, there was a public uproar
that almost brought in strict
regulations, but because they
already had a plan in place, they
instead adopted the 4R program, a
voluntary program that mostly
affects the crop advisors.

36. The 4R’s stand for the
Right source of Nutrients at the
Right Rate
Right Time and
Right Place

37. It is a certification program
for crop advisors and the
people who will actually be
applying your nutrients. It
really takes the ball out of
your court in many ways.
Who’s behind it?
People like The Fertilizer
institute

38. Just some of the
companies promoting
this program

39. A quote from the
Fertilizer Institute.
They consider it in
producers best
interests

40. http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/sparrow/gulf_findings/delivery.html
Remember
this slide?
Some of
that N and
P traveling
down the
river was
paid for by
farmers
and was
lost from
their
pockets
once it was
lost from
their fields.

41. What Can We Do? Actually, you’re probably doing some of it already
1. Own our part—we may be a small contributor, but we still contribute and since this is our watershed, it’s our responsibility
2. Understand nutrient dynamics (4Rs)
1. Banding of P and maybe N
3. Install practices that work with these dynamics (BMPs)
1. Control Nutrient Loss
1. Cover Crops will soak up N from decaying soybean crops and N applications
1. This will then be available for your cash crop next year
2. A slow-release fertilizer you don’t have to pay extra for
3. Will promote soil health, which will increase infiltration rates and decrease erodibility of soil
2. No-Till
1. Less destruction of aggregates, less Ox in the system=less decay rate, better cycling
2. Control Soil Erosion
1. Phosphorus is lost firstly through sediment, since P binds to soil particles
1. Grassed Waterways, WASCOBS, GSS’s, Cover Crop (sheet and rill)
3.)No-Till
Encourages mycorrhizal fungi associations. If you cut it, it’s like cutting your hydraulic lines
Decreases the amount of Ox in the system, which speeds up decay.

42. Nutrient Dynamics: Thoughts on P
P disengages from whatever it’s bound to so
reluctantly and moves so slowly (typically only
about an inch a year) that we’ve resorted to
banding (a great BMP) of P alongside the plant
furrow to maximize contact.
In nature plants have to form a symbiotic
relationship with a fungus to shunt it towards itself.
God designed this, so it’s something to think about.
The hyphae of the fungus can cover more spatial
area than plant roots, so mines the soil more
evenly and effectively.
It also dissolves the bonds holding P to other
compounds by secreting organic acids. This is
safely available and immediately absorbed and
shunted to the plant.

43. When we till the soil we physically break the
connection mycorrhizae have with plants.
It’s like cutting your hydraulic or fuel lines.
We can promote mycorrhizal associations
by NT, proper pH (fungi are less tolerant of
low pH than bacteria) and a food source
(cash or cover crop, so long as it’s a living
root)

44. “From the agricultural standpoint, release of P is greatly reduced when soil erosion is
reduced. Best management practices that reduce P release include practices which
decrease runoff and soil erosion such as tillage practices, terraces, grassed waterways,
buffer strips, proper application timing, and incorporation of manure and fertilizers to
coincide with crop removal, and reduce P runoff.”-- SOIL FERTILITY BASICS
NC Certified Crop Advisor Training
Steven C. Hodges
http://www.soil.ncsu.edu/programs/nmp/Nutrient%20Management%20for%20CCA.pdf
More Thoughts on P

45. Nutrient Dynamics: Thoughts about N
The preferred form of
Nitrogen---the one a plant
grabs first---is the one most
easily lost and most associated
with pollution. Again, God
designed this, effectively
grabbing the element before it
gets lost and becomes a
problem.
Adding N as nitrate, when not
actively being taken in by
plants, leaves it subject to
leaching into water or de-
nitrifying into the air. This is a
loss to the bottom line AND
the environment

46. There is a strong correlation between
Nitrate loading and nearness to deep
streams, not distance to the Gulf. The
shallower a stream is, the better chance for
denitrifying bacteria to live and take care of
nitrate before it becomes a problem.

47. Nitrogen can be returned to the air through the
work of bacteria in the denitrification process.
However, these bacteria need a place to call
home. A shallower, flooded area will contribute
to mitigation of runoff problems. These areas
enrolled in CRP will still make you money, maybe
even more, since they are on the edges where
yields are typically lower anyway.

48. Thoughts on N: Point 3
Half of the N applied never
reaches the plant. N use
efficiency is closely tied to soil
health. The concept of the 1:1
ratio of lbs/bu needs to be re-
examined and explored.
One local farmer I know uses
microbial additions and swears
a 0.8: 1 ratio is more correct.
This has to do with the role soil
micro-organisms play in nutrient
availability, a subject still being
explored

49. Nitrogen bought one
year can be carried
over in the next if
there are plant
sources to absorb it.
When they decay, it
can be returned
Properly managed,
cover crops can even
take the place of
herbicides---and,
like most of these
practices, you can
get cost share from
the government to
implement them.

50. Final Thoughts:
God designed the world to work
together for the good of all.
When it becomes unhealthy or
unbalanced we need to realize
that we are hurting ourselves
somewhere and question
where we got off track

53. http://www.wdrb.com/story/23730313/harmful-algal-blooms-
found-at-four-more-kentucky-lakes Updated: Oct 21, 2013 4:53
PM EDT
“Earlier this year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) began monitoring USACE-owned
lakes in Kentucky for the presence of cyanobacteria. USACE announced excessive levels of
cyanobacteria had been identified in Taylorsville, Nolin, Barren, Rough River and Green River
lakes, prompting USACE and state officials to issue public warnings to avoid or minimize human
and animal contact with algae-infested waters.” [snip]
Better known as blue-green algae, harmful algal blooms occur naturally in the environment.
Environmental conditions, including excess phosphorus and nitrogen, sunny conditions, warm
temperatures and low-flow or low-water conditions -- contribute to the rapid reproduction
and spread of the algae in a waterbody.
The more typical green algae, which is not harmful to humans or animals, come in many forms
and may appear as underwater moss, stringy mats or floating scum.
Cyanobacteria, on the other hand, appear as slicks of opaque, bright-green paint, but closer
inspection often reveals the grainy, sawdust-like appearance of individual colonies of bacteria.
The color of the algae may also appear as red or brown.

54. “Watershed Watch
The Watershed Watch in Kentucky
program was established as a way to encourage the
public to monitor the water quality in their local streams. It was established as a nonprofit
organization in 1997. The Division of Water provides administrative and technical assistance
for the volunteer monitoring organization. Watershed Watch has provided a starting point
for numerous local watershed groups that are now working to develop and implement nine-
key element watershed plans”