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- Info
Nitrate-nitrogen losses to groundwater from rural and suburban land uses
| Author: |
Gold, Arthur J.; DeRagon, William R.; Sullivan, W. Michael; Lemunyon, Jerrell L. |
| Date: |
3/1990 |
| Periodical: |
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation |
| Abstract: |
Nitrate-nitrogen (nitrate-N) losses to groundwater from septic systems, forests, home lawns, and urea- and manure fertilized silage corn were quantified and compared during a 2-year study. The septic system and all silage corn treatments had annual flow weighted concentrations of nitrate-N in excess of 10 mg/l for at least 1 of the 2 years. In contrast, forest and both fertilized and unfertilized home lawn treatments generated flow-weighted nitrate-N concentrations of less than 1.7 mg/l. Annual losses ranged from greater than 70 kg/ha of nitrate-N from silage corn treatments to less than 1.5 kg/ha from unfertilized home lawns and forest. The results demonstrate the importance of unfertilized land use types in maintaining aquifer water quality; they also suggest that replacing production agriculture with unsewered residential development will not markedly reduce nitrate N losses to groundwater. |
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