Kendrick Selenium Watershed Project

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Kendrick Selenium Watershed Project

• May 3, 2005

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KENDRICK WATERSHED
PROJECT PARTNERS

• Natrona County Conservation District
• Casper Alcova Irrigation District
• Kendrick Watershed Steering Committee
• Natural Resources Conservation Service
• UW Dept. of Renewable Natural Resources
• Wyoming Dept. of Environmental Quality
• Wyoming Water Development Commission

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KENDRICK WATERSHED
PROJECT GOAL

• ? To Improve Water Quality Through Reduction of
  the Level of Selenium, to the Extent Possible, in
  the North Platte River

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KENDRICK WATERSHED
PROJECT GOAL

• ? Maintain the Integrity of the Kendrick Water
  Conveyance System

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KENDRICK WATERSHED
PROJECT GOAL

• ? Promote and Practice Science Based Proactive
  Resource Management Through Conservation
  Management Practices as Opportunities Present
  Themselves.

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KENDRICK WATERSHED

• First became an area of concern in 1985
• Inter-Agency Investigation 1988 1990
• (USGS. USFWS, USBR)
• 1998 WDEQ lists the North Platte River as
  Impaired by elevated selenium
• 2000 WDEQ lists eight other surface waters within
  the Kendrick watershed as impaired

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KENDRICK WATERSHED
SE LISTED WATERS

• Casper Creek
• Poison Spider Creek
• Oregon Trail Drain
• Poison Spring Creek
• Thirty-three Mile Reservoir
• Rasmus Lee Lake
• Goose Lake
• Illco Pond

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KENDRICK WATERSHED
PROJECT OBJECTIVES

• Historical Data
• Monitoring
• Determine Impact of Irrigation Practices on SE
• Establish Natural Background
• Establish When and Where SE exceeds EPA Standards
  
• Determine Impacts of Non-AG Land Use Practices

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KENDRICK WATERSHED
SELENIUM-TOXIC

• Selenium is a trace mineral that can be highly
  toxic or carcinogenic to humans and wildlife

Elevated dietary intake of selenium (Se) causes
dramatic reproductive defects in waterfowl at
dietary levels only a few times greater than
those that are generally regarded as
nutritionally essential
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Selenium Wonder Drug

• Selenium can reduce the risk of developing
  prostate cancer by 60 percent. 200 mg/d
  supplemental selenium reduced the incidence of
  all other cancers by more than 50 percent.
  National Institute of Health

• Selenium is also a powerful antioxidant, an
  important function in enhancing the immune
  system, and a potentially important component in
  combating the AIDS virus

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KENDRICK WATERSHED
Sub-Surface Seleniferous Geology
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KENDRICK WATERSHED
Current Water Quality Data / SITES
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KENDRICK WATERSHED
Current Water Quality Data / SITES
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KENDRICK WATERSHED
Current Water Quality Data / SITES
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KENDRICK WATERSHED
SE Concentrations in Waters of the Kendrick
Irrigation ProjectM. Patterson, M.SK. Reddy, PhD

• No relationship between TSS and SE as it relates
  to surface runoff as opposed to dissolution
• Natural background accountable for a significant
  portion of SE concentrations in the North Platte
• Lower concentrations of SE when comparing current
  WQ data to that obtained in 1988

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KENDRICK WATERSHED

• OPPORTUNITY
• Increasing the value of agricultural products
  while addressing an existing water quality issue

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Kendrick Watershed Project
USDA scientists show a direct connection exists
between concentrations of selenium in the soil
and in beef. In some areas the selenium
concentrations were high enough to supply more
than one day's selenium requirement in a modest
100 gram serving of beef, approximately the size
of a hamburger patty.
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Kendrick Watershed Project
Agricultural Research Service scientists have
shown that sprinkling, rather than flooding,
allowed the plants to absorb almost twice as much
selenium from the water. Naturally storing the
element, thereby decreasing the amount of
selenium that might otherwise leach into drainage
and groundwater.
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Kendrick Demonstration Project
Project Objectives

• Track the Movement of the SE Reservoir
• Evaluate Varied Irrigation Methods
• Evaluate SE Concentrations in Crops
• Develop Value Added Market

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Kendrick Demonstration Project

• Lysimeter Sites
• Soil SE Sample Sites
• Electro-conductivity Survey
• Crop SE Sampling

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Kendrick Watershed Project
Soil Electro-Conductivity
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Kendrick Watershed Project
Soil Electro-Conductivity
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Demonstration Project Update
Lysimeters
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Lysimeters
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Kendrick Watershed Project
Crop SE
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Watershed Plan Components
Continue to support efficient irrigation
practices through technical and financial
assistance to minimize deep percolation Line or
enclose conveyance canals and laterals to
eliminate seepage Information dissemination to
water users promoting efficient water use to
minimize runoff and deep percolation Develop
value added (SE) commodities
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Kendrick Watershed Plan
Draft version complete View and Download from Web
Page kendrickselenium.org 45 day Public Comment
Period Submit to WDEQ for Comment and
Approval Submit to County as a Formally
Recognized Land Use Planning Document
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Kendrick Watershed Plan

• Implement the Watershed Plans
• 36 Tasks
• Cooperatively with
• Landowners
• in the Watershed
• Within a 10 year time period