Nutrient Leaching from Alfalfa Irrigated with Municipal Wastewater
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 120, Issue 5
Abstract
A land‐application system's performance in limiting the leaching of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) through the soil zone was evaluated. The system was located in Heber Valley, Utah, which has an average frost‐free growing season of only 100 days. The amount of N that leached through the soil zone was 6.3 kg N/ha or 24% of the N applied. The amount of P that leached through the soil zone was 0.84 kg P/ha or 0.2% of the P applied. Leachate quantities based on the consumptive water use of the alfalfa as determined by the modified Blaney‐Criddle formula were unsatisfactory. Instead, leachate quantities were estimated with a simple model based on the amount of the soil water collected by porous‐cup suction samplers. It was recommended that N leaching may be further reduced by growing a winter‐hardy grass, such as smooth bromegrass, with the alfalfa and by reducing leaching during the growing season by limiting irrigation to periods when soil‐water supplies are low. This study demonstrates that land‐application systems can be an effective method of wastewater management for mountain communities influenced by relatively harsh climates.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 120 • Issue 5 • September 1994
Pages: 1067 - 1081
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 13, 1992
Published online: Sep 1, 1994
Published in print: Sep 1994
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