Premium
Ground‐Water Nitrate Pollution in Rural Areas
Author(s) -
Walker William H.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
groundwater
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1745-6584
pISSN - 0017-467X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6584.1973.tb02983.x
Subject(s) - aquifer , groundwater recharge , groundwater , environmental science , nitrate , hydrology (agriculture) , pollution , water pollution , groundwater pollution , streams , pollutant , environmental chemistry , ecology , geology , chemistry , biology , computer network , geotechnical engineering , computer science
In humid regions, chemical pollutants such as nitrate readily enter surficial aquifers as slugs during nongrowing season precipitation recharge periods and move slowly through the aquifer to nearby drainage tiles, streams, or pumping wells. Little mixing, with native ground water seems to occur, and for this reason, fairly small quantities of pollution in bulb form may enter a well as a high‐concentration slug long after its initial entry into the aquifer. Nitrate slug concentrations in excess of 6000 ppm have been delineated in one surficial aquifer in Illinois. Recent ground‐water pollution studies indicate that trees and plants may temporarily store large quantities of nutrients during the growing season for release to aquifers during subsequent nongrowing seasons. Considering this, it appears imperative that farm fertilizer application and human or animal waste disposal on farmlands be limited only to the growing season of each year and only in quantities that will not ultimately cause ground‐water nitrate concentrations to rise above toxic levels.