PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - McVay, K.A.
AU  - Radcliffe, D.E.
AU  - Cabrera, M.L.
AU  - Hoogenboom, G.
TI  - Water balance of a dairy loafing lot using geotextile and its impact on water quality
DP  - 2004 Jul 01
TA  - Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
PG  - 142--149
VI  - 59
IP  - 4
4099  - http://www.jswconline.org/content/59/4/142.short
4100  - http://www.jswconline.org/content/59/4/142.full
AB  - To lessen soil erosion due to high animal stocking rates on small Georgia dairies, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recommends a system that utilizes geotextile material covered with crusher run gravel as a soil cover in high animal traffic areas. Our objective was to determine the runoff and leachate characteristics of a typical system. At a 60-cow dairy in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, a loafing lot was constructed on a Pacolet sandy loam soil (clayey, kaolinitic, thermic, Typic Kanhapludult). Tile drains were installed at 0.65 m (26 in) depth on 7.5 m (25 ft) spacing. Approximately 18 percent of the rainfall became surface runoff. Surface runoff water typically contained levels of NH4-N and PO4-P that exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for surface water. Approximately 32 percent of the rainfall became drainage water that moved below the top 1.5 m (60 in) soil profile and had nitrate levels ranging from 10 to 40 mg NO3-N L−1. Our results indicate that surface water running off of these sites should be impounded in a lagoon or similar structure and these systems should not be located in areas where groundwater contamination is a concern.