Vegetation management is critical to the success of a vegetative treatment area (VTA). Soil fertility may vary with the length of the VTA. A soil and fertility sampling program should be designed to capture that variability and, where appropriate, provide supplemental nutrient applications. Additional vegetation management considerations include periodic harvesting, weed control, and soil moisture management.

Environmental management considerations are essential for maintaining environmental performance. Soil sampling for regions of excess nutrient accumulation, forage harvesting for nutrient removal, VTA inspection and repair of conditions impacting sheet flow, and active management (or possibly passive management) of the release of runoff into the VTA are all key to environmental performance.

Records for monitoring performance are essential for both permitted and non-permitted facilities. Records should include 1) a precipitation log, 2) indicators of good management (e.g., records of vegetative treatment system inspections and resulting repairs, timing of solids harvest for settling basin, soil samples, crop and nutrient harvesting), and 3) records of any discharges associated with runoff additions to VTA.

Chapter 8 of the NRCS collaborative report on Vegetative Treatment Systems for Open Lot Runoff discusses these operation and maintenance considerations in detail,

Author: Rick Koelsch, University of Nebraska