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As part of a multiyear EPA sponsored
project, the CEEOT-LP (Comprehensive Environmental and
Economic Optimization Tool-Livestock and Poultry) modeling
framework was applied to the Duck Creek watershed of
southeast Texas. EPA Office of Policy funded this study
as part of the Environmental Issues cooperating agreement,
starting in 1998. Clay Ogg, an agricultural economist
with EPA Office of Policy, visited the watershed early
on.
A growing poultry industry has developed
in southeast Texas, prompting concerns of impairment
from land application of litter. Duck Creek watershed
has one of the highest concentrations of producers and
broiler houses in the region. The relatively low density
of broiler operations, however, compared to some broiler
production regions of the country, minimizes water quality
impacts. Continued growth of the broiler industry is
a concern. In this application, CEEOT-LP was applied
in a natural resource planning setting to investigate
the environmental and economic implications of broiler
industry growth. In addition, the costs and environmental
impacts of several broiler litter best management practices
were investigated. Results of the investigation help
inform decision making by the Brazos-Navasota Watershed
Working Group.
A number of reports were generated
that document Duck Creek project investigations. Detailed
environmental and economic investigations of baseline
(year 2000) conditions, including water quality simulations
and the definition of representative production operations,
are presented in Keplinger and Abraham (2002a). The
methodology and results of environmental and economic
simulations of expansion and best management pactice
(BMP) scenarios is provided in Keplinger and Abraham
(2002b). A baseline nutrient balance analysis for Duck
Creek watershed is presented in Keplinger (2001a),
while the baseline regulatory status of broiler operations
in Texas is documented in Keplinger (2001b).
This web page draws its content mainly from Keplinger
and Abraham (2002c), which summarizes the project.
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Researchers
Keith Keplinger, Joju Abraham
Brazos-Navasota
Watershed Management Project
The Brazos-Navasota
Watershed Management Project is a cooperative agreement
between the Brazos River Authority (BRA) and USEPA,
Region 6. The project uses a holistic approach to establish
a decision-making framework of water users, producers,
and the public to respond to environmental concerns,
carry out practical solutions, and document successes
through a bottom-up, community watershed coalition.
The Brazos-Navasota watershed is
large—7,000 square miles—with diverse land
uses and several prominent population centers, including
the Bryan-College Station area. The region is experiencing
rapid growth of the poultry industry and that growth
in association with several other factors has prompted
the BRA project to proactively address water quality
before concerns become problems. Results and implications
of the CEEOT application to Duck Creek provide valuable
information for the watershed management project.
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