A Watershed StoryMap: Investigating the Upper Scioto River Watershed Landscape

The Upper Scioto River Watershed (USRW) drains water from 680,000 acres into the City of Columbus’ surface water intake area where it is used extensively as a source of drinking water. Periodic spikes in levels of nitrate-nitrogen have demanded additional treatment to meet drinking water standards. How can these periodic spikes be reduced? AFT’s  Farming for Cleaner Water Project in the USRW aims to reduce nitrate-nitrogen and phosphorus loss from farmland, thereby helping to ensure safe drinking water for the City of Columbus and surrounding communities.

About 80 percent of the USRW is corn and soybean farmland. Intense, heavy rainfall can result in significant nitrate-nitrogen losses on many of these fields. Because agriculture is the predominant land use and an economic driver for the USRW, working with farmers is the most effective way to reduce elevated levels of nitrate-nitrogen that impair the region’s drinking water.