Larry D. Geohring

Phosphorus removal by wollastonite: A constructed wetland substrate

Wollastonite, a calcium metasilicate mineral mined in upstate New York, is an ideal substrate for constructed wetland ecosystems for removing soluble phosphorus from secondary wastewater. Design parameters, required for designing a full-scale constructed wetland, were measured in vertical upflow columns with hydraulic residence times varying from 15 to 180 h. Secondary wastewater was pumped vertically upward through eleven soil columns, 1.5 m in length and 15 cm in diameter and influent and effluent concentrations of soluble phosphorus were monitored for up to 411 days. Greater than 80% removal (up to 96%) was observed in nine out of 11 columns and effluent concentrations of soluble phosphorus ranged from 0.14 to 0.50 mg:l (averaging 0.28 mg:l) when the residence time was \40 h. Columns with a decreased residence time averaged 39% removal. A direct relationship between residence time and soluble phosphorus removal was established.

Phosphorus transport into subsurface drains by macropores after manure applications: Implications for best manure management practices

Land application of liquid manure can result in nutrient enrichment of subsurface drainage effluent when conditions promote leaching or macropore flow. This contamination is most likely to occur when precipitation follows manure application closely and may cause environmental impacts to receiving waters. Field and column studies were initiated in New York to investigate the impact of manure applications on phosphorus (P) transport through the soil into subsurface drains. Field studies evaluated tile effluent contamination from liquid manure under wet and dry antecedent soil moisture conditions (year 1) and under disk and plow tillage practices (year 2). In year 1, liquid dairy manure was broadcast on the surface and the field was then irrigated. Though the tile drains in the wet plots flowed much earlier and in greater volume than the drains in the dry plots, both wet and dry plots produced similar average peak total phosphorus (TP) concentrations. Irrigation 6 days later produced similar tile discharges, but the peak TP concentrations were about one-third of the earlier values. Cumulative TP loss was significantly higher from wet than dry plots. In year 2, manure was tilled into the soil via one-pass disking or plowing before irrigation commenced. The disking did not incorporate the manure into the soil as effectively as did plowing and exhibited one order of magnitude higher effluent TP concentrations and cumulative TP loss. The timing of P transport in tile effluent relative to the tile flow is consistent with macropore transport as the primary mechanism moving TP through the soil. Column studies utilizing packed soil and artificial macropores were used to examine further the role of macropore size on P sorption to pore walls. Dissolved P was added directly to the macropore, and the effluent from the macropore showed that soluble P may be transported through macropores 1 mm or greater with negligible P sorption to pore walls. In the absence of macropores, no measurable P was transported through the soil columns. Consequently, high P concentrations observed in the tile drain effluent soon after manure application during the field studies can be attributed to macropore transport processes. Even small continuous macropores are potential pathways. Plowing-in manure apparently disturbs these macropores and promotes matrix flow, resulting in greatly reduced P concentrations in the drainage effluent.

Designing constructed wetlands to remove phosphorus from barnyard runoff: A comparison of four alternative substrates

Abstract While constructed wetlands can be a cost‐effective method for reducing the export of P from agricultural ecosystems, removal rates vary widely. The objective of this research was to evaluate substrates that could consistently improve P treatment in these wetlands. We built eight 55 m2 subsurface wetland cells on an 800‐head dairy farm in Newark, NY, USA, to test alternative substrates for removing soluble P from dairy barnyard runoff. The four media were (1) a fine loamy, mixed, mesic Glossic Hapludalf, (2) crushed limestone, (3) Norlite, lightweight coarse aggregates of fired shale, and (4) wollastonite (calcium metasilicate) mining tailings. Based on this research, we recommend Norlite for P removal in agricultural ecosystems. The native soil retained more soluble P but could not sustain subsurface flow. Wollastonite tailings warrant further research. They adsorbed 2 mg P/g in the laboratory but performed less well in the field, probably because of preferential flow.

N rate and transport under variable cropping history and fertilizer rate on loamy sand and clay loam soils: II. Performance of LEACHMN using different calibration scenarios

Testing of existing agronomic models is needed to ensure their validity and applicability to different soils, cropping systems and environments. Data collected from a 3-year field experiment of maize (zea mays L.) on a loamy sand and a clay loam soil were used to validate the research version of the LEACHMN model for water flow and N fate and transport. Three calibration scenarios with increasing levels of generalization for transformation rate coefficients were used based on: (i) each year, treatment and soil type (ii) 3-year average values for each treatment and soil type, and (iii) average over years and soil types. Model accuracy was tested using both graphical and statistical methods including 1:1 scale plot, root mean square error and normalized root mean square error, and correlation coefficient values. The model accurately predicted drainage water flow rate and volume under both sites. Calibrated N transformation rate constants for each treatment, year and soil type provided satisfactory predictions of growing season cumulative NO3–N leaching losses, and accurate predictions of growing season cumulative maize N uptake at both sites. The use of 3-year average rate constant values for each site resulted in fairly satisfactory predictions of NO3–N leaching losses on the clay loam site, but inaccurate predictions on the loamy sand site. The model provided accurate predictions of cumulative maize N uptake for both sites. Using the rate constant values averaged over years and soil types resulted mostly in inaccurate predictions. Use of year and soil type-specific N rate coefficients results in accurate LEACHMN predictions of N leaching and maize N uptake. When rate coefficients are generalized over years for each soil type, satisfactory model predictions may be expected when N dynamics are not strongly affected by yearly variations in organic N inputs.

Preferential flow influences on drainage of shallow sloping soils

The dramatic effect of flow through macropores and hardpan fissures on artificial drainage in shallow sloping soils is demonstrated. Implications of these preferential flow mechanisms on drainage design and water management are discussed. In designing drainage systems on these types of soils, more emphasis should be given to the characteristics of the hardpan.

Atrazine fate on a tile drained field in northern New York: a case study

Abstract Only by understanding the transport and degradation mechanisms of atrazine on farms can measures be taken to minimize atrazine concentrations that reach natural environments. The fate of atrazine on a tile drained farm in northern New York during the spring was followed. The largest stream was sampled as well as individual tile lines from one field after snowmelt began in March 1994, until the flow ceased in early June 1994. Prior to the first application of atrazine on the farm in 1994, atrazine concentrations in the stream ranged between 0 and 0.4 μg L−1. Immediately following an 0.8 inch rainfall event, 6 days after the application of 1.4 kg of atrazine on 1 ha of a tile drained field, atrazine concentrations at a tile line outlet feeding into the stream reached 34.5 μg L−1 After mixing with other inflows, the atrazine concentration in the stream was 6.4 μg L−1 The atrazine concentration decreased along the 1450 foot stream. Analysis of eight tile lines which drained a research field showed a direct correlation between increased flow rates with increased atrazine concentration. No-tillage practices may lead to slightly higher concentrations of atrazine in the tile lines.

Evaluation of Two Langmuir Models for Phosphorus Sorption of Phosphorus-Enriched Soils in New York for Environmental Applications

The phosphorus (P) sorption isotherm experiment is a widely used tool in environmental applications for assessing soils vulnerability to P loss to runoff or drainage. The sorbed legacy P (S0) (i.e., the P retained in soils from previous P applications) participates in sorption processes but cannot readily be determined in a sorption experiment. Thus, it is important to accurately estimate S0 for P-enriched soils (e.g., the soils that heavily receive fertilizer, manure, farm wastewater, or sewage sludge). Two curve-fitting procedures (i.e., one-step method and two-step method) with Langmuir models have been used to estimate S0 and other sorption parameters, including the P sorption maxima (Smax), the bonding energy constant (k), and the zero-sorption equilibrium concentration (EPC0). This study evaluated these two methods on 16 samples of Langford, Volusia, and Mardin channery silt loam soils at surface (0-8 cm) and subsurface (61-91 cm) in New York. The results indicate that the two methods agreed well in estimating P sorption maxima, and the estimates of k were close. The S0 estimates by the two methods had a good agreement for surface soils but a poor agreement for subsurface soils, which may be of little concern because of small S0 of subsurface soils. Although the one-step method yielded greater EPC0 estimates, the EPC0 estimates by the two methods had an excellent linear correlation for P-enriched surface soils, suggesting that both methods could work equally if only the relative magnitudes of EPC0 among soils are needed. Overall, both methods are acceptable to fit the Langmuir isotherms.

Controls Influencing the Treatment of Excess Agricultural Nitrate with Denitrifying Bioreactors

Denitrifying bioreactors have been suggested as effective best management practices to reduce nitrate and nitrite (NO) in large-scale agricultural tile drainage. This study combines experiments in flow-through laboratory reactors with in situ continuous monitoring and experiments in a pair of field reactors to determine the effectiveness of reactors for small-scale agriculture in New York. It also compares the use of a typical woodchip media with a woodchip and biochar mixture. Laboratory results showed linear increase in NO removal with both increased inflow concentration and increased residence time. Average removal of NO in weekly monitoring of field reactors over the course of two growing seasons was 3.23 and 4.00 g N m d for woodchip and woodchip/biochar reactors, respectively. Removal of NO during two field experimental runs was similar to in situ monitoring and did not correlate with laboratory experiments. Factors that are uncontrollable at the field scale, such as temperature and inflow water chemistry, may result in more complex and resilient microbial communities that are less specialized for denitrification. Further study of other controlling variables, other field sites, and other parameters, including microbial communities and trace gas emissions, will help elucidate function and applicability of denitrifying bioreactors.

Tracer movement through paired vegetative treatment areas receiving silage bunker runoff

The need for less resource-intensive agricultural waste treatment alternatives has lately increased. Vegetative treatment areas (VTAs) are considered a low-cost alternative to the collection and storage of various agricultural wastewaters. As VTAs become more widespread, the need for design guidance in varying climates and landscapes increases. The purposes of this study were to investigate runoff movement and nitrate-nitrogen concentrations within two VTAs and to use the results to improve VTA design and recommendations for management. Silage bunker runoff movement through the selected VTAs following a 7.8 mm (0.31 in) rainfall event was characterized using a chloride tracer. Both surface and subsurface runoff movement was analyzed using tracer concentrations and a simple binary mixing model. Results show that concentrated surface flow paths existed within both VTAs, and surface flow in general was more prevalent in the VTA that received a higher hydraulic loading. Rapid preferential flow to shallow monitoring wells was also observed. A shallow restrictive soil layer likely exacerbated surface flow but restricted runoff water and nitrate-nitrogen from leaching to deeper groundwater. The nitrate-nitrogen did not appear to be directly linked to runoff movement, but concentrations as high as 28 mg L−1 were observed in downslope surface flow in the wetter VTA. A more comprehensive VTA design process is called for that accounts for shallow soils and antecedent moisture conditions. Regular maintenance and design measures to prevent the formation of concentrated flow paths are also critical to the prevention of surface discharge.

Drainage and Nitrate Leaching from Artificially Drained Maize Fields Simulated by the Precision Nitrogen Management Model

Environmental nitrogen (N) losses (e.g., nitrate leaching, denitrification, and ammonia volatilization) frequently occur in maize ( L.) agroecosystems. Decision support systems, designed to optimize the application of N fertilizer in these systems, have been developed using physically based models such as the Precision Nitrogen Management (PNM) model of soil and crop processes, which is an integral component of Adapt-N, a decision support tool providing N fertilizer recommendations for maize production. Such models can also be used to estimate N losses associated with particular management practices and over a range of current climates and future climate projections. The objectives of this study were to update the PNM model to include an option for simulating soil-water processes in artificially drained soils, and to calibrate the revised PNM model and test it against multiyear field studies in New York and Minnesota with different soils and management practices. Minimal calibration was required for the model. Denitrification rate constants were calibrated by minimizing the error between simulated and observed nitrate leaching for each study site. The normalized root mean squared error of cumulative daily drainage for the validation sets ranged from 10 to 23%. For cumulative daily nitrate leaching, the normalized root mean squared error ranged from 11 to 28% for the validation sets. The minimal calibration required and relatively simple data inputs make the PNM model a broadly applicable tool for simulating water and N flows in maize systems.