Evaluation of a Terrain Attribute Model for Locating Areas Suitable for Grassed Waterways in Agricultural Settings

Grassed waterways placed in high water flow zones substantially reduce erosion in agricultural fields. A recent study proposed a statistical model for waterway planning for a farm in the Outer Bluegrass physiographic region of Kentucky. The logistic regression model identified where channel erosion was likely to occur based on elevation-derived terrain attributes. The objective of this study was to test their model in fields located in the Western Coal Fields physiographic region where soils differ substantially. Model predictions corresponded well with known areas of concentrated flow (i.e., maps of existing waterways, surface drains, and observations of erosion). The geographic inference space of the waterway planning model was large. Overall, the results indicated that the geographic inference space of the waterway planning model was larger than expected. This analysis suggested that the proposed modeling procedure was robust and has the potential to be an effective tool to help conservationists identify areas where waterways should be located on some Kentucky landscapes.