Impacts of Drainage Water Management on Nutrient Runoff from Agricultural Fields in the Western Lake Erie Basin
Loading...
Date
2025-05
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
Algal blooms in the Western Lake Erie Basin are a massive environmental problem fueled by nutrient pollution from agricultural runoff. In efforts to reduce the blooms, different best management practices (BMPs) have been implemented, such as drainage water management. This paper evaluates the impact of drainage water management on legacy phosphorus (P) loads on two fields, an experimental and control site, in the Maumee River Watershed. dissolved reactive P (DRP), total P (TP), nitrate-nitrogen (N-NO3), and total nitrogen (TN) areal loading rates and concentrations, as well as discharge, are evaluated.
The nutrients are evaluated based on site, management status, storm event size, and season. Storm event sizes were created based on precipitation amounts in the storms corresponding to each discharge event (small (≤0.35 inches), medium (0.35<x ≤0.75), and large (0.75<x ≤3.15)). The results show evidence that on these fields, subsurface areal loading rates of P are higher during large storm events than medium and small ones, but drainage water management reduces the increase between medium and large events. Overall, nitrogen (N) areal loading rates are higher with drainage water management than without it. Seasonally, loads are highest during March 1 to July 31, sometimes referred to as Lake Erie spring. Drainage water management can reduce the increase between the loads in other seasons and spring loads.
Description
Keywords
phosphorus, nitrogen, Lake Erie, drainage water management, nutrient pollution, agriculture, algal blooms, harmful algal blooms