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Recycling Vertical-Flow Biofilter: A Treatment System for Agricultural Subsurface Tile Water

K. Baker,S. Clark

Published 2012 in Unknown venue

ABSTRACT

Agricultural runoff and similar nonpoint sources of pollution are responsible for widespread degradation of surface water quality in the U.S. (Hall and Killen, 2005; Hardy and Koontz, 2008). In almost three-quarters of the rivers studied in the National Water Quality Survey, nonpoint discharges were major contributors to water quality impairment (US EPA, 1992). Nonpoint source discharges resulting from agricultural runoff add large amounts of inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus to surface water (Goolsby and Battaglin, 2001; Powers, 2007; US EPA, 1992). In the Chesapeake Bay Region (US), nonpoint source discharges contribute about two-thirds of the nitrogen and one-quarter of the phosphorus inputs (Correll et al., 1995). In the 1200 km2 Conestoga River watershed in Pennsylvania, 47.2 kg/ha/yr total nitrogen and 44.7 kg/ha/yr nitrate-nitrogen are discharged from nonpoint sources adding, ultimately, to the nutrient load of the Chesapeake Bay (Woltenmade, 2005). The addition of excessive inorganic nutrients to surface waters leads to eutrophication, which, in turn, is associated with the development of hypoxic zones such as those in the Gulf of Mexico, the Chesapeake Bay, and similar areas (Alexander et al., 2008; Boesch et al., 2001; Mitsch et al., 1999; Wang et al., 2001). Subsurface tile drainage is a common agricultural water management practice used in regions with a seasonally high water table. By taking advantage of this system, farmers are able to extend their growing season by allowing for earlier spring planting and later harvest dates. The use of subsurface tile drainage has been shown to significantly improve crop production (Kladivko et al., 2005). Skaggs et al. (1994) noted that subsurface artificial drainage has improved agricultural production on nearly one-fifth of U.S. soils. In the intensively cropped watersheds of the Midwest United States, the use of subsurface tile drainage has allowed one of the highest agricultural productivities in the world. Approximately 30% of all agricultural lands in the upper Midwest are artificially drained (Zucker and Brown, 1998). Despite all of the benefits to crop production, tile drain lines can have a negative environmental impact. Tile drain lines can act as conduits for contaminants, promoting the rapid movement of these substances to surface waters (Fleming and Ford, 2004; Gentry et al.,

PUBLICATION RECORD

  • Publication year

    2012

  • Venue

    Unknown venue

  • Publication date

    2012-03-28

  • Fields of study

    Agricultural and Food Sciences, Environmental Science

  • Identifiers
    DOI 10.5772/31028
  • External record

    Open on Semantic Scholar

  • Source metadata

    Semantic Scholar

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