Premium
ASSESSING GROUND WATER POLLUTION POTENTIAL FROM NITROGEN FERTILIZER USING A GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM 1
Author(s) -
Halliday Stuart L.,
Wolfe Mary Leigh
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-1688.1991.tb03128.x
Subject(s) - environmental science , pollution , groundwater , fertilizer , pollutant , water pollution , nutrient pollution , aquifer , water quality , groundwater pollution , environmental engineering , water resource management , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental chemistry , geology , agronomy , chemistry , ecology , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , biology
A geographic information system (GRASS 3.1) was used to correlate the availability of nitrogen fertilizer with the susceptibility of ground water to pollution in Texas to identify potential ground water quality problems. An agricultural pollution susceptibility map, produced by the Texas Water Commission using the DRASTIC methodology, was combined with information on cropped areas, recommended nitrogen fertilizer application rates, and aquifer outcrops. A Nitrogen Fertilizer Pollution Potential Index was generated, identifying 24 percent of Texas within the high pollution potential category An analysis of the susceptibility of major aquifer outcrops to potential pollution from nitrogen fertilizer indicated that 34 percent of the outcrop areas fall in the high pollution potential range. It is proposed that correlating the availability of a pollutant with an assessment of the susceptibility of ground water to pollution yields a more accurate screening tool for identifying potential pollution problems than considering susceptibility alone.