Abstract

Willoughby Grove Farm has been a functioning farm for many generations within the same family. For each of those generations, there has been some level of soil erosion on the farm. Erosion is inevitable, but there are actions that can be taken to reduce its impact.

Willoughby Grove Farm originally had clay drainage tile installed under the fields to help drain water from the surface. Over time these clay tiles began to break and needed to be replaced. This was not done to the degree needed. Due to that lack of maintenance, over the last 12 years, erosion has started to occur in the area, primarily impacting several transport pathways on the farm. Water flows from tiles within the fields to a grass waterway. Tile within this grass waterway has failed over time due to aging and the growth of trees. As a result, water no longer travels in the subsurface to the creek, but it instead travels on the surface. By the time the water gets to the end of the field, it has carved a trench, creating problems for the farm. Throughout the summer of 2023, data was collected within a localized study area of high erosion and the surrounding fields. This data included soil moisture, water flow rates, soil type, as well as elevation change. This data shows a constant decrease in elevation from the west end of the field to the east. Data also supports that the soil type was a majority silty clay loam, a soil that is susceptible to erosion. Unfortunately, there was little surface flow throughout the dry summer, thus few conclusions came from the flow data. Soil moisture observations were taken once a week, and data suggests that after rain events, soil moisture stayed around the same percent from week to week. Along with data taken in the field, temperature and precipitation data from the Midwest and central Ohio was analyzed in the lab. This data indicates that average low temperatures are increasing in the region, while high temperatures are staying about the same. In addition, precipitation is rising as well in both the Midwest and central Ohio. These factors play a small role in why erosion is occurring in the study area. Poor tile upkeep is a significantly more important contributor to erosion on Willoughby Grove Farm. If the Fishers had kept tile throughout the field and grass waterway functioning, the properly maintained system would have controlled the increase in precipitation in central Ohio.

Advisor

Judge, Shelley

Department

Earth Sciences; Geology

Disciplines

Earth Sciences | Environmental Sciences | Geology | Geomorphology | Hydrology | Other Earth Sciences | Sedimentology | Soil Science | Stratigraphy | Tectonics and Structure

Publication Date

2024

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2024 James Leonard Fisher