Watershed Pollution Tracker

Watershed Pollution — Runoff & Nutrient Loading

Watershed pollution from agricultural runoff carries excess nitrogen and phosphorus into streams and rivers, driving hypoxia and algal blooms in downstream water bodies. This simulation models rainfall-runoff generation across a watershed with adjustable land uses — cropland, pasture, urban, and forested — and tracks nutrient export as a function of fertilizer application rates and best management practices. Adding riparian buffers or cover crops shows their pollutant retention effectiveness.

What you can do in this simulation

• Assign land-use types to sub-catchments and set fertilizer application rates
• Simulate a rainfall event and watch runoff and nutrient loads leaving each sub-catchment
• Add riparian buffer strips and measure their nutrient retention percentage
• Switch from conventional tillage to no-till and observe reduced sediment and phosphorus export
• Track cumulative nitrogen and phosphorus loading at the watershed outlet over a season

Concepts covered

nonpoint source pollution · nutrient loading · runoff · riparian buffer · eutrophication · best management practices

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