Quantifying the effectiveness of a saturated buffer to reduce tile NO₃-N concentrations in eastern Iowa.

ABSTRACT: Agricultural drainage tiles are primary contributors to NO₃-N export from Iowa croplands. Saturated buffers are a relatively new conservation practice that diverts tile water into a distribution tile installed in a riparian buffer parallel to a stream with the intent of enhancing NO₃-N processing within the buffer. In this study, tile NO₃-N concentration reductions were characterized through two different saturated buffers at a working farm site in eastern Iowa. Study objectives were to (1) evaluate the hydrogeology and water quality patterns in the saturated buffer and (2) quantify the reduction in tile NO₃-N concentration from the saturated buffer installation. Results showed that the two saturated buffers are reducing NO₃-N concentr

SUBMITTER: Streeter MT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8294834 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature