2002 Annual Report
Research
Modeling Subsurface Drainage Systems in Southern Minnesota
Gary Sands, Assistant Professor
Changxing Jin, Research Associate
Aida Mendez, Research Associate
Prasanna Gowda, Senior Research Associate, Department of Soil, Water and
Climate
Joe Zachman, Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Bruce Montgomery, Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Paul Wotzka, Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Funding Source
Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station; Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Objective
- Evaluate the performance of drainage models for the region.
- Investigate the performance of subsurface drainage in the region by
conducting 50- to 100-year simulations of drainage systems under various
design and management scenarios.
Project Description
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has monitored drainage
flow and water quality parameters for a 60-acre farm in south-central
Minnesota for the past five years as part of a wellhead management project.
A collaborative relationship has been established with the MDA to provide
modeling expertise to augment the field data monitoring program.
Results
A comparison between the ADAPT and DRAINMOD computer models for cold climates has been completed. An 85-year simulation of drainage performance for the region was conducted with DRAINMOD. Simulations with more soil types and alternative design scenarios are being performed.