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Nitrate Movement in a Chilean Agricultural Area Irrigated with Untreated Sewage Water
Author(s) -
Schalscha E. B.,
Vergara I.,
Schirado T.,
Morales M.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1979.00472425000800010007x
Subject(s) - leaching (pedology) , dns root zone , nitrate , drainage , sewage , environmental science , soil water , irrigation , water quality , lessivage , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental chemistry , chemistry , environmental engineering , agronomy , geology , soil science , ecology , biology , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry
Nitrate concentrations in soils and drainage and well waters were determined in a 15‐ha field representing about 4,000 ha of agricultural land irrigated exclusively with raw sewage water for > 25 years. Analyses of the percolating water below the root zone indicated that the leached NO 3 − ‐N was about 350 kg/ha per year. The transit time for water to move through the unsaturated zone to the saturated zone at a depth of 2 to 2.2 m was < 1 year, and the leaching fraction was estimated as 0.63. Concentrations of NO 3 − ‐N ranged from 20 to 35 mg/liter in the percolating water of the unsaturated zone, whereas two well waters contained 9 and 14 mg/liter.