Finding cost-effective ways to reduce agricultural runoff is critical to improving water quality in the Fox-River basin. To help, Brown and Outagamie Counties have begun installing agricultural runoff treatment systems (ARTS).
ARTS were developed with a grant from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) in 2015. These pond-wetland systems are designed to work as natural phosphorus filters when installed next to farm fields. UW-Green Bay and USGS provide intensive monitoring for two of the ARTS sites.
UW-Green Bay researchers recently published results from a six-year study in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment that indicates that ARTS are one of the most cost-effective options for meeting Wisconsin’s nutrient reduction goals.
“Pond–wetland systems can intercept sediment and phosphorus from farm fields before they enter streams,” says Michael Holly, lead researcher on the study. “This creates opportunities for partnerships in which wastewater utilities support on‑farm installations and potentially achieve nutrient reduction goals through water quality trading.”
A Training Ground for Students
Not only are these systems cost-effective, but the Heart of the Valley (HOV) Metropolitan Sewerage District ARTS site in the Town of Buchanan is providing an excellent training site for high school and undergraduate students participating in Freshwater Collaborative–funded projects.
“This site has started a lot of side projects that have led to additional research,” Holly says. “We bring the students out to see the bigger picture and how their research projects relate.”
The site provides opportunities for students to collect and analyze samples, test filter media and learn how to use equipment. Since 2018, five High School Freshwater Summer Scholars, 10 UW-Green Bay undergraduates and four Freshwater@UW Summer Scholars have conducted hands-on research at the HOV ARTS site.
UW-Green Bay faculty also take classes to the site for hands-on learning activities. When UW-Green Bay hosts the Ag-Water Nexus Seminar and Ag-Water Nexus Field Experience in fall, the ARTS site will provide real-life learning experiences for students interested in working with farmers to reduce phosphorus and protect nearby lakes.
Unique Experiences Through Freshwater@UW
As a Freshwater@UW Scholar, Ellen Chadwick conducted mentored research with Holly during the summer of 2024. The senior at Kenyon College in Ohio says the most valuable part of the summer experience was seeing how scientific research could be applied to real-world environmental problems.
“Visiting the ARTS site was especially meaningful,” she says. “Oftentimes, I feel like research happens mostly in isolation, and you rarely see the practical applications of your work. Here, the application was right down the road!”
Her summer research project at UW-Green Bay sparked her interest in a career focused on sustainable agriculture and food systems.
Freshwater@UW Scholar Camden Chrudimsky felt a professional and personal connection to the research he conducted at the ARTS site. The UW-Madison undergraduate is from Green Bay and has seen the seasonal algae blooms that plague the Bay of Green Bay.
His research project at UW-Green Bay provided unique opportunities to work with metals and learn more about the chemistry behind phosphorus complexation. Particularly motivated was knowing that his findings were building upon previous student research at the site.
“This experience was amazing because it provided a large-scale perspective on where our work would eventually be applied,” Chrudimsky says. “Seeing the ARTS site showed me that there was real value behind our work. I was happy to see that UWGB was taking an initiative to protect this major waterway and improve phosphorus management practices.”
Finetuning Effectiveness
The recent publication outlines findings from the first six years of the HOV ARTS site. UW-Green Bay researchers intend to finetune processes to further increase effectiveness.
“I would like to see 90 percent effectiveness in nutrient reductions, and there are more things we can do,” Holly says.
For students, the research opportunities will continue — and prepare them for careers that will help them collaborate with Wisconsin’s farmers and wastewater treatment plants to address phosphorus pollution and other water quality issues.
Written by Heidi Jeter, Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin
Link to original story: https://freshwater.wisconsin.edu/agricultural-runoff-treatment-systems/
https://news.uwgb.edu/phlash/news/03/26/arts-sites-reduce-phosphorus-runoff-provide-training-for-students/