Watershed scale nitrate-N abatement of instream wetlands: an appraisal using the soil and water assessment tool

These data are associated with the manuscript entitled: “Watershed Scale Nitrate-N Abatement of Instream Wetlands: An Appraisal Using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool” (doi: 10.13031/aea.13736). The study elucidated the watershed-scale nitrate-N abatement potential of constructed instream wetlands (ISWs). Hence, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to model nitrate-N export in a highly agricultural watershed located in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina. SWAT was first calibrated and validated for streamflow and for nitrate-N export using data collected from the inlet and outlet of an experimental instream wetland. The validated SWAT model was used to simulate a decade of nitrate-N export under two scenarios: 1) watershed with ISWs implemented; and 2) watershed without ISWs. The results of the case study indicated that a watershed-wide implementation of ISWs is likely to curtail annual nitrate-N export by 49%. The study also evaluated cases where ISWs are implemented in...