Impacts of Tile Drainage on Water Quality PDF Download

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Languages : en
Pages : 133

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Book Description
This report describes the processes involved in movement of contaminants through the soil or over the surface and into tiles or ditches draining agricultural fields, incorporates an understanding of these processes into a physically-based model, collects field data for calibration and verification, uses the model to evaluate the effects of tile drainage on water quality, and provides guidance on potential management strategies. Algorithms to represent processes for chemical transport through the soil profile and into the tile drains were developed and incorporated into TILE, a continuous, physically-based hydrologic simulation model for tile-drained agricultural fields and basins. Data for model testing and calibration came from a cooperative field program on a tile-drained corn field and from field studies undertaken to define the physical parameters required by the model, including saturated hydraulic conductivity, soil type and depth, drainable porosity, and infiltration characteristics. Testing of the water quality algorithms for the pesticide employed (metolachlor) was undertaken and scenarios involving the application of pesticides and fertilizers and the timing of rainfall were evaluated to determine the potential effects on nutrient or pesticide loss from the fields through the tile drains or from surface runoff.