Groundwater nitrate contamination: factors and indicators.

Agriculture came into existence about 15,000 years ago and passed through different stages of gathering, hunting, hoe culture, and sedentary agriculture, followed by modern agriculture. It began simultaneously in five world centers concentrating on different crops, most suited to the respective areas, and it was affected by changes in climate which determined the distribution of populations and their occupations. With the increase in population, the need for food progressively increased, necessitating introduction of modern agriculture to enhance production. The indiscriminate and faulty use of advanced technology to meet the food demand of fast-increasing populations added to its share to the destruction of the environment. The two approaches that contributed to this were horizontal expansion and vertical expansion. The former resulted in deforestation, desertification, soil erosion, land salting, and water logging, as well as the frequent occurrence of droughts and famines; the latter destroyed the soil structure and fertility through decreased microbial populations, fish culture, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, in addition to producing water and soil pollution and serious health hazards in human beings and fauna. The real culprit of this geobiologic devastation is the population growth rate, which needs to be contained at safer levels.

Agriculture and environment.

Nitrogen Losses and Surface Run-Off from Landspreading of Manures

The Dutch National Monitoring Programme for Effectiveness of the Minerals Policy (LMM) was initiated to allow detection of a statutory reduction in nitrate leaching caused by a decreasing N load. The starting point, or baseline, was taken as the nitrate concentration of the upper metre of groundwater sampled on 99 farms in the 1992–1995 period in the sandy areas of the Netherlands, where predominantly grass and maize grow. We found here that a reduction in nitrate leaching of more than 20% in future would almost certainly be detected with the LMM. Detecting downward trends due to decreasing N load will require nitrate concentrations to also be related to soil drainage, precipitation excess leading to groundwater recharge and to location. Furthermore, we found that about 16% of the N load in the Dutch sandy regions was being leached to the upper metre of groundwater in the 1992–1995 period. The critical N load in approximately 1990 for exceeding the EC limit value for nitrate, NO3, (50 mg L−1) in the upper metre of groundwater for the mean situation for grassland, maize and arable land in the sandy area was found to be 210 kg ha−1 a−1. Because manure management has been altered, the critical load found will be lower than the current critical load .

Nitrate leaching in agriculture to upper groundwater in the sandy regions of the Netherlands during the 1992–1995 period

A model of nitrogen efficiency in contrasting grass-based dairy systems

Groundwater-nitrate concentrations were compared between the experimental farm 'De Marke', which was designed to minimize nutrient surpluses -, and farms being representative for the sandy region of the Netherlands. Samples were collected during the period 1991-99 at 'De Marke' and during 1992-95 at 94 representative farms. Between 1991 and autumn 1992, groundwater nitrate at 'De Marke' decreased from 193 mg litre-1 to 115 mg litre-1. No decrease was found at the representative farms. The decrease at 'De Marke' was attributed to new farm management. After autumn 1992, groundwater nitrate at 'De Marke' fluctuated between 30 and 115 mg litre-1. A comparable pattern in time was found at other farms. This variation was attributed mostly to variation in groundwater table and precipitation. After autumn 1992, farm management did not result in a further reduction in groundwater nitrate. Only 9 of the 94 representative farms had an average nitrate concentration lower than that at 'De Marke' during 1992-98. If differences in groundwater table and precipitation were taken into account, it was estimated that only three of the representative farms would have had a lower average nitrate concentration than 'De Marke'.

/pdf/nitrate-in-the-upper-groundwater-of-de-marke-and-other-farms-1r2kg3u5kp.pdf

Nitrate in the upper groundwater of ‘De Marke’ and other farms

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Nitrate in the upper groundwater of ‘De Marke’ and other farms