Rainfall simulations were the common way of collecting agricultural runoff water quality samples four decades ago. In these simulations, surface water runoff flow characteristics and water quality constituents of interest (nutrients, sediment) were determined by sprinkling water ten feet from the soil surface over small area delineated by a frame and gutter system in the soil of cropped field. There were several limitations to this method, including small study areas and lack of repeatability throughout the growing season due to farming activities. Many different research designs have since been developed to remedy some of these limitations, such as edge of field (EOF) monitoring.
To gather continuous and field scale EOF data, researchers from the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the Kentucky Geological Survey are partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service, Kentucky Soybean Promotion Board, the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund, and nine anonymous landowners to establish a network of 29 EOF water quality monitoring stations distributed throughout Western Kentucky, collectively known as Blue Water Farms.