Abstract
The impact on water quality by agricultural activity in karst terrain is an important consideration for resource management within the Appalachian Region. Three USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service-designed sinkhole filters for removing contaminants from manure-impacted infiltrating water were assessed for removal efficiency of indicator bacteria and nitrate. Geometric mean fecal coliform bacteria concentrations decreased 85% to 96%. Mean nitrate concentrations increased 130% at two of the filter locations. The sinkhole filters probably filtered out sediment and associated contaminants, such as fecal coliform bacteria, but had no filtering effect on solutes like nitrate. Nitrate concentrations might have increased because of nitrification in the filter media between runoff events. The sinkhole filter appears to be an effective management tool in order to reduce inputs of pathogens to karst groundwater aquifers.
Footnotes
Douglas G. Boyer is a research hydrologist at the Appalachian Farming Systems Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beaver, West Virginia.
- © 2008 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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