As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have partnered to evaluate agricultural conservation practices focused on nutrient management. Monitoring methods allow for rapid assessment of water-quality changes in response to conservation efforts by focusing on subsurface-tile drainage and direct surface runoff from fields. Estimated daily loads presented within this dataset are from one surface-runoff monitoring station (USGS station identification number 0414826544; approximated drainage area of 60.6 hectare) and one tile-runoff monitoring station (USGS station identification number 0414826545; approximated drainage area of 28.6 hectare). The monitored field is a row-crop parcel planted in a biennial corn-soybean crop rotation. Best-management practices were applied during part of the monitoring period: cover crops were planted in the fall of each year from 2014 to 2016; nutrient management methods were employed and a filter strip was installed on the field each spring from 2015 to 2017.

As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have partnered to evaluate agricultural conservation practices focused on nutrient management. Monitoring methods allow for rapid assessment of water-quality changes in response to conservation efforts by focusing on subsurface-tile drainage and direct surface runoff from fields. Estimated daily loads presented within this dataset are from five surface-runoff monitoring stations (USGS station identification number 441624088045601, approximated drainage area of 4.17 hectare; USGS station identification number 441546088082001, approximated drainage area of 11.0 hectare; USGS station identification number 441520880845001, approximated drainage area of 3.20 hectare; USGS station identification number 442119088085501, approximated drainage area of 1.94 hectare; USGS station identification number 442114088085701, approximated drainage area of 10.4 hectare) and one tile-runoff monitoring station (USGS station identification number 441520088045002; approximated drainage area of 2.02 hectare). The monitored fields are row-crop parcels planted in a biennial corn-soybean crop rotation. Best-management practices were applied during part of the monitoring period. Note: Daily load computations are presented directly as they were output from the GCLAS program and do not represent the degree of accuracy of the estimates.

As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have partnered to evaluate agricultural conservation practices focused on nutrient management. Monitoring methods allow for rapid assessment of water-quality changes in response to conservation efforts by focusing on subsurface-tile drainage and direct surface runoff from fields. Estimated daily loads presented within this dataset are from five surface-runoff monitoring stations (USGS station identification number 441624088045601, approximated drainage area of 4.17 hectare; USGS station identification number 441546088082001, approximated drainage area of 11.0 hectare; USGS station identification number 441520880845001, approximated drainage area of 3.20 hectare; USGS station identification number 442119088085501, approximated drainage area of 1.94 hectare; USGS station identification number 442114088085701, approximated drainage area of 10.4 hectare) and one tile-runoff monitoring station (USGS station identification number 441520088045002; approximated drainage area of 2.02 hectare). The monitored fields are row-crop parcels planted in a biennial corn-soybean crop rotation. Best-management practices were applied during part of the monitoring period. Note: Daily load computations are presented directly as they were output from the GCLAS program and do not represent the degree of accuracy of the estimates.

As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have partnered to evaluate agricultural conservation practices focused on nutrient management. Monitoring methods allow for rapid assessment of water-quality changes in response to conservation efforts by focusing on subsurface-tile drainage and direct surface runoff from fields. Estimated daily loads presented within this dataset are from five surface-runoff monitoring stations (USGS station identification number 441624088045601, approximated drainage area of 4.17 hectare; USGS station identification number 441546088082001, approximated drainage area of 11.0 hectare; USGS station identification number 441520880845001, approximated drainage area of 3.20 hectare; USGS station identification number 442119088085501, approximated drainage area of 1.94 hectare; USGS station identification number 442114088085701, approximated drainage area of 10.4 hectare) and one tile-runoff monitoring station (USGS station identification number 441520088045002; approximated drainage area of 2.02 hectare). The monitored fields are row-crop parcels planted in a biennial corn-soybean crop rotation. Best-management practices were applied during part of the monitoring period. Note: Daily load computations are presented directly as they were output from the GCLAS program and do not represent the degree of accuracy of the estimates.

As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have partnered to evaluate the impacts of implementing agricultural conservation practices focused on nutrient management. Monitoring methods have been designed to allow for rapid assessment of water-quality changes in response to conservation efforts by focusing on subsurface-tile drainage and direct surface runoff from fields—the major pathways for nonpoint-source pollution to enter streams. Monitoring stations were established at the field edge that measured runoff volume and enabled the collection of samples that were analyzed for nitrate plus nitrite, ammonia, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, orthophosphate, total phosphorus, suspended sediment, and chloride. Samples were collected by use of an autosampler and sampling was triggered to capture most events throughout a USGS water year (October 1 to September 30). Event samples were combined into flow-weighted composite samples as described in Stuntebeck and others, 2008. Baseflow samples were collected either through the autosampler or as a grab sample direct from the flume. Daily loads were computed using the USGS Graphical Constituent Loading Analysis System (GCLAS; Koltun and others, 2006). GCLAS requires a discharge hydrograph and chemograph as data input; the output is a computed daily load for the given constituent. Since the estimated daily load is based on composite concentrations for individual events, they may not reflect the true daily value, and Sciencebase is being used to provide the final load estimates to be able to explicitly link these estimates to relevant reports and external resources describing their derivation. The total of the daily loads over the course of the event, however, likely reflects the total load for the event, and the estimated loads given in the data table provided are identified using corresponding USGS National Water Information System parameter codes. Estimated daily loads presented within this dataset are from one surface-runoff monitoring station (USGS station identification number 405051083391201; approximated drainage area of 3.5 hectare) and one tile-runoff monitoring station (USGS station identification number 405051083391001; approximated drainage area of 2.1 hectare). The monitored field is a row-crop parcel planted in a biennial corn-soybean crop rotation. The field naturally slopes inwards, and is drained by a 0.14 ha grassed waterway. A nutrient management plan was employed in 2016. Koltun, G.F., Eberle, M., Gray, J.R., Glysson, G.D., 2006, User's manual for the Graphical Constituent Loading Analysis System (GCLAS), U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods, 4-C1, 51 p. Stuntebeck, T.D., Komiskey, M.J., Owens, D.W., Hall, D.W., 2008, Methods of data collection, sample collection, and data analysis for edge-of-field, streamgaging, subsurface-tile, and meteorological stations at Discovery Farms and Pioneer Farms in Wisconsin, 2001–07: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1015, 51 p.

As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have partnered to evaluate the impacts of implementing agricultural conservation practices focused on nutrient management. Monitoring methods have been designed to allow for rapid assessment of water-quality changes in response to conservation efforts by focusing on subsurface-tile drainage and direct surface runoff from fields—the major pathways for nonpoint-source pollution to enter streams. Monitoring stations were established at the field edge that measured runoff volume and enabled the collection of samples that were analyzed for nitrate plus nitrite, ammonia, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, orthophosphate, total phosphorus, suspended sediment, and chloride. Samples were collected by use of an autosampler and sampling was triggered to capture most events throughout a USGS water year (October 1 to September 30). Event samples were combined into flow-weighted composite samples as described in Stuntebeck and others, 2008. Baseflow samples were collected either through the autosampler or as a grab sample direct from the flume. Daily loads were computed using the USGS Graphical Constituent Loading Analysis System (GCLAS; Koltun and others, 2006). GCLAS requires a discharge hydrograph and chemograph as data input; the output is a computed daily load for the given constituent. Since the estimated daily load is based on composite concentrations for individual events, they may not reflect the true daily value, and Sciencebase is being used to provide the final load estimates to be able to explicitly link these estimates to relevant reports and external resources describing their derivation. The total of the daily loads over the course of the event, however, likely reflects the total load for the event, and the estimated loads given in the data table provided are identified using corresponding USGS National Water Information System parameter codes. Estimated daily loads presented within this dataset are from one surface-runoff monitoring station (USGS station identification number 405051083391201; approximated drainage area of 3.5 hectare) and one tile-runoff monitoring station (USGS station identification number 405051083391001; approximated drainage area of 2.1 hectare). The monitored field is a row-crop parcel planted in a biennial corn-soybean crop rotation. The field naturally slopes inwards, and is drained by a 0.14 ha grassed waterway. A nutrient management plan was employed in 2016. Koltun, G.F., Eberle, M., Gray, J.R., Glysson, G.D., 2006, User's manual for the Graphical Constituent Loading Analysis System (GCLAS), U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods, 4-C1, 51 p. Stuntebeck, T.D., Komiskey, M.J., Owens, D.W., Hall, D.W., 2008, Methods of data collection, sample collection, and data analysis for edge-of-field, streamgaging, subsurface-tile, and meteorological stations at Discovery Farms and Pioneer Farms in Wisconsin, 2001–07: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008–1015, 51 p.

This data release contains nutrient and sediment concentrations, loads, and yields from a USGS subsurface-tile edge-of-field (EOF) agricultural monitoring site. Sampling and flow monitoring were performed at the outlet of a subsurface-tile that drains 14.7 acres of cultivated cropland. The site is located in South Central Michigan and discharges into a headwater stream of the Maumee watershed. Through a cooperative agreement between the USGS and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Michigan, data was collected from May 22, 2019, through March 19, 2023. Water quality and rainfall metrics are summarized by individual flow events to evaluate the contribution of EOF losses to a headwater stream. The methods used to collect this data followed USGS EOF monitoring methods (https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/20081015/) and the contents of this data release are consistent with a related EOF data release (Komiskey et. al 2023). Flow data, including total flow volume, flow-weighted mean concentrations, total loads, and total yields, were computed for each flow event. A flow event was defined as any period of flow at a station that was classified as a storm and represents flow that was related to rainfall or snowmelt. In the combined flow and rain table, multiple flow events were combined if they occurred within 2 hours of each other, to account for similar rainfall/runoff characteristics. Linked to each flow event, rainfall metrics were computed (rain total, duration, intensity, erosivity, and antecedent rainfall). Rain metrics were also computed for the entire rainfall record, which are in the rain event table. Similar to the combined flow-related rain metrics, rainfall was combined into a single event if it occurred within 2 hours of the previous rainfall. There were occurrences of continuous flow between rain events, which were not associated with a period of rainfall or snowmelt, likely due to excessive soil saturation or shallow groundwater discharge. These periods of intermittent tile discharge were not classified as a storm. Monitoring was conducted year-round to evaluate flow characteristics among seasons and variation in weather, field conditions, and agricultural activities.

This data release contains nutrient and sediment concentrations, loads, and yields from a USGS subsurface-tile edge-of-field (EOF) agricultural monitoring site. Sampling and flow monitoring were performed at the outlet of a subsurface-tile that drains 14.7 acres of cultivated cropland. The site is located in South Central Michigan and discharges into a headwater stream of the Maumee watershed. Through a cooperative agreement between the USGS and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Michigan, data was collected from May 22, 2019, through March 19, 2023. Water quality and rainfall metrics are summarized by individual flow events to evaluate the contribution of EOF losses to a headwater stream. The methods used to collect this data followed USGS EOF monitoring methods (https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/20081015/) and the contents of this data release are consistent with a related EOF data release (Komiskey et. al 2023). Flow data, including total flow volume, flow-weighted mean concentrations, total loads, and total yields, were computed for each flow event. A flow event was defined as any period of flow at a station that was classified as a storm and represents flow that was related to rainfall or snowmelt. In the combined flow and rain table, multiple flow events were combined if they occurred within 2 hours of each other, to account for similar rainfall/runoff characteristics. Linked to each flow event, rainfall metrics were computed (rain total, duration, intensity, erosivity, and antecedent rainfall). Rain metrics were also computed for the entire rainfall record, which are in the rain event table. Similar to the combined flow-related rain metrics, rainfall was combined into a single event if it occurred within 2 hours of the previous rainfall. There were occurrences of continuous flow between rain events, which were not associated with a period of rainfall or snowmelt, likely due to excessive soil saturation or shallow groundwater discharge. These periods of intermittent tile discharge were not classified as a storm. Monitoring was conducted year-round to evaluate flow characteristics among seasons and variation in weather, field conditions, and agricultural activities.

This data release provides computed rainfall (rain total, duration, intensity, erosivity and antecedent rainfall) and flow (flow volume, flow-weighted mean concentrations, total loads, and total yields) metrics from monitored precipitation, discharge, and water quality (nutrients and sediment concentrations) data collected at U.S. Geological Survey edge-of-field (EOF) monitoring sites located in five Great Lakes States (Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and New York). EOF monitoring sites are installed at the edge of agricultural fields, either on the field surface or using subsurface tiles, where runoff can be intercepted and channeled through monitoring equipment before it enters the natural stream system. The methods used to collect this data followed USGS EOF monitoring methods (https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/20081015/). These EOF monitoring sites are located at private farms under a variety of farming systems, landscape settings, drainage areas, soil types, and climates. Site information is provided in the ‘EOF_Site_Table.csv’ data table. Rainfall metrics were computed for EOF site locations and are provided in the ‘All_EOF_RainEvents.csv’ data table. Rainfall was directly monitored at many, but not every EOF monitoring site. EOF monitoring sites without on-site rainfall data were associated to rainfall data measured at a nearby EOF monitoring site or meteorological site. Rainfall was combined into a single event if it occurred within 2 hours of the previous rainfall. Flow data were computed for each flow event at each EOF monitoring site and are available in the ‘All_EOF_StormEventLoadsFormatted.csv’ data table. A flow event was defined as any period of flow at a site that was classified as a storm and represents flow that was related to rainfall or snowmelt. There were occurrences of continuous flow between rain events, which were not associated with a period of rainfall or snowmelt, likely due to excessive soil saturation or shallow groundwater discharge. These periods of intermittent tile discharge were not classified as a storm. Multiple precipitation and flow events were combined if they occurred within two hours of each other to account for similar rainfall/runoff characteristics. Rainfall metrics and flow data were then calculated for these combined events at each EOF monitoring site and available in the ‘All_EOF_StormEventLoadsRainCalculated.csv’ data table.

This data release provides computed rainfall (rain total, duration, intensity, erosivity and antecedent rainfall) and flow (flow volume, flow-weighted mean concentrations, total loads, and total yields) metrics from monitored precipitation, discharge, and water quality (nutrients and sediment concentrations) data collected at U.S. Geological Survey edge-of-field (EOF) monitoring sites located in five Great Lakes States (Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and New York). EOF monitoring sites are installed at the edge of agricultural fields, either on the field surface or using subsurface tiles, where runoff can be intercepted and channeled through monitoring equipment before it enters the natural stream system. The methods used to collect this data followed USGS EOF monitoring methods (https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/20081015/). These EOF monitoring sites are located at private farms under a variety of farming systems, landscape settings, drainage areas, soil types, and climates. Site information is provided in the ‘EOF_Site_Table.csv’ data table. Rainfall metrics were computed for EOF site locations and are provided in the ‘All_EOF_RainEvents.csv’ data table. Rainfall was directly monitored at many, but not every EOF monitoring site. EOF monitoring sites without on-site rainfall data were associated to rainfall data measured at a nearby EOF monitoring site or meteorological site. Rainfall was combined into a single event if it occurred within 2 hours of the previous rainfall. Flow data were computed for each flow event at each EOF monitoring site and are available in the ‘All_EOF_StormEventLoadsFormatted.csv’ data table. A flow event was defined as any period of flow at a site that was classified as a storm and represents flow that was related to rainfall or snowmelt. There were occurrences of continuous flow between rain events, which were not associated with a period of rainfall or snowmelt, likely due to excessive soil saturation or shallow groundwater discharge. These periods of intermittent tile discharge were not classified as a storm. Multiple precipitation and flow events were combined if they occurred within two hours of each other to account for similar rainfall/runoff characteristics. Rainfall metrics and flow data were then calculated for these combined events at each EOF monitoring site and available in the ‘All_EOF_StormEventLoadsRainCalculated.csv’ data table.