Annual Agriculture Progress Reports Neuse & Tar-Pamlico River Basins November 2012 Prepared by the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico Basin Oversight Committees John Huisman Division of Water Quality

Neuse & Tar-Pam River Basins

Rule Overview Neuse & Tar-Pam Agricultural Rules Effective: August 1998 (Neuse) and September 2001 (Tar-Pam) Goal: 30% N reduction in N load from baseline Tar-Pam: No increase in Phosphorus load Collective Implementation 2 Basin Oversight Committees (BOCs) 31 Local Advisory Committees (LACs) Annual Reports – Use NLEW accounting tool

Neuse estimated N Loss Reductions County 2010 Reported N Loss Reduction 2011 Reported N Loss Reduction Carteret 34% 39% Craven 62% 49% Durham 55% Franklin 69% 68% Granville 58% Greene 48% Johnston 53% Jones 51% 36% Lenoir 22% 19% Nash 57% 63% Orange 54% Pamlico Person 59% Pitt 61% 56% Wake 76% Wayne 42% 43% Wilson   Total 45%

Tar-Pamlico Estimated N Loss Reductions County 2010 Reported N Loss Reduction 2011 Reported N Loss Reduction Beaufort 41% 35% Edgecombe 37% 28% Franklin 67% 63% Granville 49% Halifax 40% 22% Hyde 38% 34% Martin 24% Nash 65% 69% Person 75% 66% Pitt 57% Vance 61% Warren 72% Washington 51% 31% Wilson 39% Total 43%

Phosphorus Loss Tracking Tar-Pamlico River Basin Tar-Pam Ag Rule: No increase in P from baseline year Development of a Phosphorous Loss Accounting Method Approved a P accounting method in 2005 Nine (9) Indicators are used to qualitatively assess the risk of P loss Indicators characterize changes in land use and management to assess P-loss risk compared against the baseline year (1991) 2011 BOC findings - No net increase in P loss risk

Future Steps Encourage BMP implementation Targeted outreach for: Falls Lake NSW Strategy Technician & LAC meetings will be held Winter-Spring 2013

Acknowledgements Neuse & Tar-Pamlico Technicians Producers LACs BOCs Local SWCD DSWC NRCS CES NCDA & CS NASS NLEW Committee NCSU DWQ

Questions Neuse Basin John Huisman DWQ – Nonpoint Source Planning Unit Phone: (919) 807-6436 Email: John.Huisman@ncdenr.gov Tar-Pamlico Basin Mike Herrmann Phone: (919) 807-6497 Email: Michael.Herrmann@ncdenr.gov

Slides in Reserve

Nitrogen Loss Estimation Worksheet (NLEW) Empirical Spreadsheet-based Model Developed by DWQ, NRCS, and NCSU Update in 2011: Decrease buffer N removal efficiency Estimates Nitrogen Loss from Cropland Ag Compare baseline loss to current crop year Loss Estimates at County Scale Technicians Collect Data Annually Number of Acres / Type of Crop Fertilization Rates BMPs implemented

Phosphorus Loss Tracking Tar-Pamlico River Basin 2011 P-Loss Indicators Parameter Units 2011 Change 91-11 2011 P Loss Risk +/- Agricultural land Acres 721,432 -11% - Cropland conversion (to grass & trees) 31,631 4,693%  - CRP / WRP (cumulative) 41,833 117% -  Conservation tillage  40,612 -1.94%* Vegetated buffers (cumulative) 227,528 348% Water control structures (cumulative) Acres Affected 84,442 59% Scavenger crop 86,283 550% Animal waste P lbs of P/ yr 16,695,543 23%  + Soil test P median mg/kg 87 4.82% * Reported conservation tillage (CT) reflects active cost share contract acres, not acres where contracts have expired but continue to use CT.

How were N loss reductions achieved? Neuse River Basin 2008 N-Loss Reduction 2009 2010 N-Loss Reduction 2011 BMP implementation 5% 7% 6% 8% Fertilization management 12% 14% Cropping shift 10% 17% 11% Cropland converted to grass/trees 1% 1.5% 2% Cropland lost to idle land 6.5% 4% Cropland lost to development Total 41% 44% 49% 45%

How were the N Loss reductions achieved? Tar-Pamlico River Basin   CY2008 N-Loss Reduction CY2009 CY2010 CY2011 BMP implementation 10% 11% 9% Fertilization Management 21% 20% 23% 17% Cropping shifts 8% Reduction in cropland due to idle land 4% 3.5% 3% Reduction in cropland due to cropland conversion Reduction in cropland due to development 1% TOTAL 50% 49% 43%

Changes In Buffer Efficiencies Width NLEW v5.02 % Reduction v5.51 % v5.53b % 20’ 40% (grass) 30% 20% 75% (trees) n/a 30’ 65% 40% 25% 50’ 85% 50% 70’ 55% 100’ 60% 35%