Effect of a cold-climate buffer zone on minimising diffuse pollution from agriculture

2002 ◽  
Vol 45 (9) ◽  
pp. 69-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Syversen

Vegetative buffer zones adjacent to streams can filter diffuse pollution from agriculture. Under Nordic climatic conditions, major runoff from agriculture occurs during winter and especially during snowmelt. Field experiments documenting runoff and retention processes in buffer zones during winter conditions are essential. Agricultural runoff and buffer zone retention of nutrients and particles during winter and summer are compared. The study is based upon 8 years of data collected from 5 to 10 m wide buffer zones compared to plots without buffer zones. Volume proportional samples were collected after each runoff episode. Results show that the difference between precipitation and runoff is much higher during summer than winter, due to higher evapotranspiration and infiltration during the summer. Over 90% of total particle and phosphorus runoff occurred during winter. There was no significant difference in retention of particles and particle-bound nutrients during winter compared to summer. Sedimentation is one of the most important retention processes in surface runoff buffer zones. High retention during winter is probably caused by higher surface runoff and erosion. High surface runoff and flow velocity could cause erosion of coarser particles, which were more easily trapped in the buffer zone. High particle concentration in the runoff water may also enhance the aggregation of fine particles.

2005 ◽  
Vol 51 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 63-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Syversen

Vegetative buffer zones adjacent to watercourses can be effective filters for diffuse pollution from agriculture. Several investigations, even during snowmelt season, have shown that retention of sediments and sediment-bound nutrients in runoff water has been high through buffer zones (BZ). It is likely that BZ also can be effective filters for sediment-bound pesticides. The retention of glyphosate, propiconazole, fenpropimorph and soil particles was studied in surface runoff experiments with 5 m wide buffer zones. Volume proportional samples were collected after each runoff episode (1999–2002). The distribution coefficient (Kd) shows moderate to high adsorption of the pesticides to the experimental soil. Results show average retention efficiency of about 51%, 48%, 85% and 34% for particles, glyphosate, propiconazole and fenpropimorph, respectively. The amount of AMPA (which is a degradation product of glyphosate), entering the BZ was high; approximately the same amount as for glyphosate. The retention efficiency through the BZ for AMPA was about 67%. There were no significant differences in removal efficiency (in %) between winter with snowmelt and summer. This is possibly due to detachment of coarser aggregates during winter, which trap more easily in the BZ. The conclusion based on this study suggests BZ to be contributors to reduced pesticide input to surface waters.


1997 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 618-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wondi Mersie ◽  
Cathy A. Seybold

This paper describes the design, construction, and operation of tilted beds to investigate the effectiveness of vegetative filter strips (VFS) in removing agricultural chemicals from runoff water. The beds are designed to catch surface runoff, leachate, and subsurface lateral flow. Switchgrass was established on beds filled with Cullen clay loam or Emporia sandy loam. Switchgrass establi shed on Cullen clay loam beds reduced surface runoff by 60% and by 11% in sandy loam containing switchgrass compared to respective bare soils. Infiltration was 64, 26, 17, and 8% for clay loam with switchgrass, clay loam without switchgrass, sandy loam with switchgrass, and sandy loam without switchgrass, respectively.


Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenqin Huang ◽  
Jingqiao Mao ◽  
Dejun Zhu ◽  
Chenyu Lin

Understanding the effect of land use/land cover (LULC) on water quality is essential for environmental improvement, especially in urban areas. This study examined the relationship between LULC at buffer-zone scales and water quality in a lakeside city near Poyang Lake, which is the largest freshwater lake in China. Representative indicators were selected by factor analysis to characterize the water quality in the study area, and then the association between LULC and water quality over space and time was quantified by redundancy analysis. The results indicated that the influence of LULC on water quality is scale-dependent. In general, the LULC could explain from 56.9% to 31.6% of the variation in water quality at six buffer zones (from 500 m to 1800 m). Forest land had a positive effect on water quality among most buffer zones, while construction land and bare land affected the representative water quality indicators negatively within the 1200 m and 1500 m buffer zones, respectively. There was also a seasonal variation in the relationship between LULC and water quality. The closest connection between them appeared at the 1000 m buffer zone in the dry season, whereas there was no significant difference among the buffer zones in the wet season. The results suggest the importance of considering buffer-zone scales in assessing the impacts of LULC on water quality in urban lakeshore areas.


2005 ◽  
Vol 51 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 55-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Kronvang ◽  
A. Laubel ◽  
S.E. Larsen ◽  
H.E. Andersen ◽  
J. Djurhuus

Rill erosion, surface runoff and storage of sediment and phosphorus in buffer zones were investigated during three winters on ca. 140 arable field slope units in twenty places in Denmark covering all landscape types, climate gradients and dominant soil types. The dominant soils are Alfisols and Spodosols, with textural composition typically ranging from sand to loam. The average slope is 7% (range: 2–20%) and median buffer zone width was 8.3 m (range: 0.6–125 m). The geometric mean annual rill erosion was 0.33 m3 ha−1 equalling to 495 kg sediment ha−1 and 0.25 kg P ha−1. The deposition of sediment on the field, in the buffer zone and delivery of soil to the stream was surveyed within the 140 slope units following three winters. Deposition of sediment in the buffer zone was observed in 31% (1997/98), 31% (1998/99) and 29% (1999/2000) of the slope units. Delivery of soil across the edge of the stream was observed in 23% (1997/98), 17% (1998/99) and 25% (1999/2000) of the 140 slope units. Median dissolved P concentration in surface runoff was 0.18 mg P l−1 (range: 0.029–16.294 mg P l−1). A probability model was developed to predict the efficiency of different widths of buffer zones.


1987 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 75-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. P. Amaral

The technology of treatment through landfarming for oily wastes has been more and more often utilized in Brazil, always successfully. The definition, the processes which occur, as well as the factors which affect its performance are herein presented. Design parameters, such as location, ground characterization, dimensioning of the area of application, groundwater protection, drainage, treatment of surface runoff water and percolated liquid, among others, are presented. Operational procedures and quality monitoring of effluents and environment are also described. PETROBRÁS is already operating two landfarming systems and has several others in the design stage. We present data from these projects and report that oily waste degradation has been achieved in around six months. Finally, we expect to be contributing to the affirmation and development of this technology in our Country.


1992 ◽  
Vol 26 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 1851-1856 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Lai ◽  
K. S. L. Lo

A mixing-based model for describing solute transfer to overland flow was developed. This model included a time-dependent mixing depth of the top layer and a complete-mixed surface runoff zone. In a series of laboratory experiments, runoff was passed at various velocities and depths over a medium bed. The media were saturated with uniform concentration of potassium chloride solution. Runoff water was sampled at the beginning and end of the flume and the potassium chloride concentration analyzed. Using this model, dimensionless ultimate mixing depth and dimensionless change rate of mixing depth from experimental data were investigated and implemented. The results showed that the Reynolds number and relative roughness are two important factors.


1995 ◽  
Vol 31 (8) ◽  
pp. 109-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Anderson ◽  
E. G. Flaig

Restoration and enhancement of Lake Okeechobee and the Florida Everglades requires a comprehensive approach to manage agricultural runoff. The Florida Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Act of 1987 was promulgated to develop and implement plans for protecting Florida waters. The South Florida Water Management District was directed by Florida legislature to develop management plans for Lake Okeechobee (SWIM) and the Everglades ecosystem (Marjory Stoneman Douglas Everglades Protection Act of 1991). These plans require agriculture to implement best management practices (BMPs) to reduce runoff phosphorus (P) loads. The Lake Okeechobee SWIM plan established a P load reduction target for Lake Okeechobee and set P concentration limitations for runoff from non-point source agricultural sources. Agricultural water users in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) are required to develop farm management plans to reduce P loads from the basin by 25%. The Everglades Forever Act of 1994 additionally emphasized linkage of these landscapes and consequent protection and restoration of the Everglades. Agricultural BMPs are being developed and implemented to comply with water management, environmental, and regulatory standards. Although BMPs are improving runoff water quality, additional research is necessary to obtain the best combination of BMPs for individual farms. This paper summarizes the development of comprehensive water management in south Florida and the agricultural BMPs carried out to meet regulatory requirements for Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades.


1994 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. T. Bowman ◽  
G. J. Wall ◽  
D. J. King

The risk of surface-water contamination by herbicides is greatest following application to cropland when the active ingredients are at the maximum concentration and the soil is the most vulnerable to erosion following cultivation. This study determined the magnitude of surface runoff losses of herbicide and nutrients at, and subsequent to, application. The first of three weekly 10-min, 2.6-cm rainfalls were simulated on triplicated 1-m plots (a set) on which corn had been planted and the herbicide (metolachlor/atrazine, 1.5:1.0) and fertilizer (28% N at 123 kg ha−1) had just been applied. Identical simulations were applied to two other adjacent plot sets (protected from rainfall) 1 and 2 wk following herbicide application. Runoff (natural, simulated) was monitored for soil, nutrient and herbicide losses. Concentrations of total phosphorus in surface runoff water and nitrate N in field-filtered samples were not significantly influenced by the time of the rainfall simulation but exceeded provincial water-quality objectives. Atrazine and metolachlor runoff losses were greatest from simulated rainfall (about 5% loss) immediately following application. Subsequent simulated rainfall usually resulted in < 1% herbicide runoff losses. Herbicide concentrations in all plot runoff samples exceeded provincial drinking-water quality objectives. Since herbicide surface transport is primarily in the solution phase (not via association with soil particles), water-management conservation technologies are the key to retaining these chemicals on cropland. Key words: Herbicide, runoff, rainfall simulation, partitioning, water quality


2015 ◽  
Vol Volume 111 (Number 11/12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie A. Kneen ◽  
Matthew E. Ojelede ◽  
Harold J. Annegarn ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  

Abstract Mining, tailings storage facilities (TSFs), dust pollution and growth in residential housing development are synonymous with the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Encroachment of housing onto land close to TSFs, i.e. areas rendered marginal because of the dust hazard and risk of structural failure, has continued unabated for decades, intensifying human exposure to windblown mineral dust. Recent research indicates that the finer milling used for modern gold extraction results in aeolian dust emanating from the TSFs which contributes to a higher proportion of inhalable particles in the source material. Air quality dispersion modelling, validated by ambient aerosol monitoring campaigns, indicates that episodic dust events generate particulate matter (PM10) and, specifically, quartz dust concentrations that are unhealthy at distances of up to 2 km downwind from TSFs. This contribution documented residential development from 1952 to 2011 (using historical aerial photographs, census data from 2001 and 2011 and ancillary information) to determine the population exposed to dust emanations from the TSFs. Using the images, land use was classified into residential areas, TSF footprints and open areas, onto which a series of 500 m buffer zone contours were superimposed. The resulting statistics were used to assess the populations exposed to dust hazard within the defined buffer zones. Overall, housing development has experienced a growth of approximately 700% since 1952 at a rate of 14% per year. Analysis of recent monitoring campaign data has confirmed multiple occurrences of quartzrich inhalable dust in residential settings at levels that exceed occupational health standards, extrapolated to values for population exposure.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1s) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Boz ◽  
Giuseppina Pipitone ◽  
Bruna Gumiero ◽  
Paolo Bazzoffi ◽  
Luigi Sansone

Several studies have described the effectiveness of vegetated buffer strips, interposed between the cultivated areas and water bodies, in removal of suspended solids and other pollutants such as Glyphosate conveyed through surface runoff. This monitoring study has quantified the effects of a 5-metre wide herbaceous buffer zone, adjacent to a vineyard, built according to the Standard 5.2 of Cross-compliance (M.D. 27417). The amount of runoff generated was 3.9% of the total annual rainfall, with negligible differences in terms of volume after flowing through the buffer zone. The effectiveness of the buffer zone in suspended solids removal was, in terms of mass balance, of 45.5%. The glyphosate outputs from the vineyard, unlike in other experiences, were negligible and therefore it was not possible to evaluate the efficiency of the buffer zone in removing it. This is due to the low rainfall occurred in the period following distribution that has favoured <em>in situ</em> degradation of Glyphosate.


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