Phosphorus Losses in Surface Runoff and Subsurface Drainage Waters on Two Agricultural Fields in Quebec

Enright, P.; Madramootoo, Chandra A.

doi:10.13031/2013.15722

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Subsurface processes are expected to be an important pathway for water discharge and P transport in the cold, humid temperate regions where agricultural lands are often drained to permit farming activities. Tile drainage accounted for 42 to 60% of annual water discharge from agricultural watersheds in the Great Lakes region of Canada (Culley and Bolton, 1983;Macrae et al, 2007) and represented between 53 and 80% of water discharged from agricultural fields in the Pike River watershed of Quebec, Canada (Gangbazo et al, 1997;Jamieson et al, 2003;Enright and Madramootoo, 2004). In this region, ?40% of the annual total P (TP) loss from agricultural fields occurs through tile drainage (Macrae et al, 2007;Eastman et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tile Drainage as a Hydrologic Pathway for Phosphorus Export from an Agricultural Subwatershed

2019

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Cyanobacteria growth in Missisquoi Bay of Lake Champlain is triggered by the P load carried by tributaries in surrounding watersheds where agriculture is a dominant land use. The objective of this study was to apportion the total P (TP) load in streamflow from an agricultural subwatershed into distinct hydrologic pathways: groundwater resurgence, surface runoff, and tile drainage components (matrix flow and preferential flow). Stream discharge during peak flow was separated into these four components using electrical conductivity (EC)–discharge relationships developed from the stream water EC at the subwatershed outlet and from EC values of surface runoff and tile drain water in 10 fields within the subwatershed. The four‐component hydrograph model revealed that 46 to 67% of the TP load at the outlet originated from surface runoff during peak flow. Preferential flow was responsible for most of the particulate P and dissolved reactive P loads lost through tile drainage. Groundwater resurgence was a minor source of TP, whereas other sources such as streambank erosion and resuspended sediments contributed up to 21% of the TP load and from 36 to 41% of the particulate P load at the subwatershed outlet. This work confirms that tile drainage contributes to the TP load in agricultural subwatersheds in the Missisquoi Bay region. Core Ideas Field water sources affected electrolytes and electrical conductivity in streamflow. Water yield from field hydrologic pathways was deduced from the stream hydrograph. Matrix and preferential flows to tile drainage, and surface runoff, were quantified. Preferential flow was an important source of sediment and P loads in streamflow. Stream water quality may be negatively affected by tile drainage outflows.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tile Drainage as a Hydrologic Pathway for Phosphorus Export from an Agricultural Subwatershed

2019

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“…In Canada, subsurface drainage is present in 18% of agricultural land, notably peaking at 46% in Québec and 37% in Ontario, the central provinces where corn (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max) cultivation predominates (Statistics Canada, 2023). In south-central Québec, the outflow from tile drains contributes close to 40% of the total annual loss of phosphorus (P) from agricultural fields (Enright & Madramootoo, 2004). Biological and chemical technologies that remove P from wastewater with high P concentrations (mg P L −1 ), including enhanced biological phosphorus removal, precipitation and membrane filtration, and chemical treatment with metal salts or lime, are not suited to treating tile drain effluent that has relatively lower P concentrations (μg P L −1 ) (Bunce et al, 2018;Xie et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phosphorus removal from agricultural tile drainage effluent with activated alumina in novel adsorption reactors

Husk,

Balch,

Sanchez

et al. 2024

J of Env Quality

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Subsurface tile drains under agricultural field crops are a major source of phosphorus (P) discharge to aquatic ecosystems, contributing to the eutrophication of surface waters. Adsorption reactors for P removal from drainage water (P‐reactors) could reduce P outflow from agricultural land but were rarely studied in cold, temperate climates. In our study, four low‐cost P‐reactors were installed in agricultural fields in south‐central Québec, Canada. Activated alumina (AA) beads were used as P‐adsorptive material, and the reactors were connected to tile drain outlets. Paired water samples (39 events) from reactor inlets and outlets were analyzed for P species and other physicochemical parameters during one calendar year to assess the P removal from tile drain effluent in the P‐reactors. Collectively, the P‐reactors retained approximately half (48%) of the total mass of P flowing through the tile drains, mostly (92%) as particulate P. The mass of AA beads adsorbed 11% of the dissolved‐P fractions. Results are interpreted in the context of the field drainage area and will require adjustments to the P‐reactor design to accommodate larger fields. The P‐reactors remained structurally intact throughout all four seasons in a cold temperate climate, showing the potential of simple, inexpensive P‐reactors to reduce P concentration in tile drain effluent.

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“…While DRAINMOD [22] has been widely applied to drainage design and performance in agricultural fields in mild areas, the model underestimates the effects of soil freezing, and thawing [6]. Freezing and thawing processes [23] affect field hydrology, such as infiltration-runoff relationship during snow melting or rainfall. In particularly, the effects on field hydrology with low infiltration leading to high surface runoff happen during the later winter and early spring periods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Tile Drainage Outflow in Thin Agricultural Soils with Impermeable under Layer in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Jeyakumar¹,

McKenzie²,

Zhang³

et al. 2020

aeer

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Subsurface tile drainage installation helps to maintain water table levels and to meet adequate crop moisture requirements. Artificial subsurface drainage continues to be a common practice in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) and elsewhere around the world. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of DRAINMOD in simulating water table depth (WTD) and water outflow from tile drained agricultural fields. This site on the Avalon Peninsula of Eastern Newfoundland has a rolling landscape with predominantly Podzolic soils. The tile drainage was installed at 1.0 m deep and spaced 12 m apart. Drainage outflows (two per plot) from twelve experimental plots (32 m x 60 m each) were monitored for two years. The simulated WTD ranged from 140 cm to 160 cm during rainfall season. The performance of the model was evaluated by the Index of agreement (IOA). It was 0.600 in 2017 and 0.559 in 2018. The result was considered to have acceptable accuracy, which can help to design or evaluate subsurface drainage systems in NL, Canada. However, further evaluation including additional sites are necessary to ensure optimum drainage design parameters for the major agricultural soils.

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Phosphorus Losses in Surface Runoff and Subsurface Drainage Waters on Two Agricultural Fields in Quebec

Cited by 5 publications

References 4 publications

Tile Drainage as a Hydrologic Pathway for Phosphorus Export from an Agricultural Subwatershed

Tile Drainage as a Hydrologic Pathway for Phosphorus Export from an Agricultural Subwatershed

Phosphorus removal from agricultural tile drainage effluent with activated alumina in novel adsorption reactors

Modeling Tile Drainage Outflow in Thin Agricultural Soils with Impermeable under Layer in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

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