Determination of Nutrient Concentrations in Simulated Rainfall-Runoff from Poultry House Dust Deposited Adjacent to Exhaust Fans

Until recently, little attention has been given to the loss of nutrients that may occur in stormwater runoff from poultry houses. Dust emitted from poultry house fans and deposited near the fans has been shown to contain similar amounts of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) as in poultry litter, thus, there is need for information on the potential of runoff to transport deposited dust off-site. The objectives of this study are to quantify P and N in simulated rainfall-runoff from sites immediately adjacent to fans (sidewall and tunnel) from a commercial poultry house in northwest Arkansas. Runoff from fan plots range in total P (TP) and total N (TN) concentration from 1.0 to 26.0 mg∙L−1 and from 5.1 to 189 mg∙L−1. The concentration of P and N in runoff from plots adjacent to sidewall fans is significantly lower (P < 0.05) during warmer (June to August; 1 and 2 mg∙L−1 for TP and TN, respectively) than cooler months (November through March; 3 and 7 mg∙L−1 for TP and TN, respectively). In contrast, TP and TN concentrations of runoff from tunnel fan plots are significantly greater (P < 0.05) during warm (14 and 170 mg∙L−1, respectively) than cool months (5 and 60 mg∙L−1, respectively). The results of this research indicate that conservation practices are needed around poultry production houses to minimize the potential for runoff of nutrients in emitted dust entering nearby surface waters. * Corresponding author.