Nitrate-nitrogen losses to groundwater from rural and suburban land uses
Document Type
Article
Date of Original Version
1-1-1990
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. 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. 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. Replacing production agriculture with unsewered residential development will not markedly reduce nitrate-N losses to groundwater. -from Authors
Publication Title, e.g., Journal
Journal of Soil & Water Conservation
Volume
45
Issue
2
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Gold, A. J., W. R. Deragon, W. M. Sullivan, and J. L. Lemunyon. "Nitrate-nitrogen losses to groundwater from rural and suburban land uses." Journal of Soil & Water Conservation 45, 2 (1990). https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/nrs_facpubs/461