The Loch Dee Project: runoff and surface water quality in an area subject to acid precipitation and afforestation in SW Scotland

ABSTRACTA description is given of the hydrological regime and associated surface water quality recorded at a multi-disciplinary long-term investigation into the effects of acid precipitation and afforestation. The study catchment at Loch Dee is situated on the margins of the Loch Doon granite complex in SW Scotland. Annual rainfall is in excess of 2200 mm. The three main tributary burns exhibit a rapid response to rainfall with a high percentage of direct runoff. The loch with an average volume of 3650 M1 and a contributing catchment area of 15·6 km2 has an average turn-over of approximately forty days but this has varied from 15 to 100 days. Local physical variations are shown to influence both hydrological response and surface water quality. Generally stream water during spate conditions reflects rainfall chemistry. Occasionally, however, moderately acid rainfall containing large concentrations of sea salts has produced highly acidic runoff through a process of ion-exchange within the surface horizons of the soils. The quality of base flows shows a spatial variation which reflects various lithologies to the extent that pH values ranging from 4·9 to 6·9 have been observed.

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Baseflow contribution to nitrates in an urban stream in Daejeon, Korea

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2010.245 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 61 (12) ◽

pp. 3216-3220 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

G. Kim ◽

H. Lee ◽

Y. Lim ◽

M. Jung ◽

D. Kong

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Surface Water ◽

Groundwater Quality ◽

Stream Water ◽

Surface Water Quality ◽

Quality Data ◽

Urban Stream ◽

Hydrograph Separation ◽

Stream Water Quality ◽

The Impact

It is a well-known fact that baseflow discharge of rainfall runoff significantly impacts the quality of surface water. In this paper, the impact of nitrates discharged as baseflow on stream water quality were studied using PULSE, a hydrograph separation software developed by USGS, to calculate the monthly baseflow discharge. We took water quality and flow rate data from a monitoring station site (code: Ghapcehon2) in Daejeon city and acquired 2005 groundwater quality data in the watershed from government agencies. Agricultural and forestry land use are dominant in the area. The baseflow contributes 85%–95% of stream flows during the spring and fall, 25%–38% during the summer and winter. The monthly nitrate loading discharged as baseflow for Ghapcheon2 was estimated by using monitored nitrate concentrations of groundwater in the watershed. Nitrate loading induced by baseflow at Ghapcheon2 was estimated as 5.4 tons of NO3−-N/km2, which is about 60% of nitrate loading of surface water, or 9.2 tons of NO3−-N/km2. This study shows that groundwater quality monitoring is important for proper management of surface water quality.

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Surface water quality in the Mastnik stream catchment area: The situation in the Czech countryside

Geografie ◽

10.37040/geografie2018123040479 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 123 (4) ◽

pp. 479-505

Author(s):

Luboš Mrkva ◽

Bohumír Janský

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Surface Water ◽

Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽

Stream Water ◽

Surface Water Quality ◽

Gradual Improvement ◽

Stream Flows ◽

Using Data ◽

The Impact

Despite major investments into the remediation of wastewater, and the reduction of fertilizers, the quality of small river surface water in agricultural and rural regions of Czechia is still very low. The Mastník stream flows through an agricultural area before combining with the Vltava river; a portion of the Mastník stream water inevitably terminates in the Slapy Reservoir. The quality of the water has been analyzed using data from indicator concentrations from both the Vltava River Basin Authority study profiles, and the author’s monitoring profile. The data show that the steps that have been taken – primarily the construction of wastewater treatment plants – have led to a gradual improvement in the surface water quality by some parameters. Presently, a growing concentration of chlorophyll–α and a lack of dissolved oxygen are influencing the final quality of the water. In the case of the Mastník stream, it is particularly necessary to improve the remediation of wastewater from small households, and to reduce the impact of water erosion on agricultural soil.

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Effect of fall-applied manure practices on runoff, sediment, and nutrient surface transport from silage corn in south coastal British Columbia

Canadian Journal of Soil Science ◽

10.4141/s01-041 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 82 (4) ◽

pp. 445-456 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

L J.P. van Vliet ◽

B J Zebarth ◽

G. Derksen

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

British Columbia ◽

Surface Water ◽

Lolium Multiflorum ◽

Winter Season ◽

Surface Water Quality ◽

Suspended Solid ◽

Italian Ryegrass ◽

Annual Rainfall ◽

Nutrient Loads

Runoff from manured cropland during the wet fall and winter season, when 70% of the annual rainfall occurs, is a surface water quality concern in the Lower Fraser Valley of British Columbia. This study compares different fall-manure application strategies on runoff and contaminant transport from silage corn (Zea mays) land. The treatments were (i) a control, which did not receive manure in the fall; (ii) manure broadcast in the fall on corn stubble; and (iii) manure broadcast in the fall on corn stubble with an established relay crop. Runoff, solids, and nutrients loads from natural precipitation were measured on replicated experimental plots (0.0125 ha) from 1996 to 1998. Fall-applied manure on 3–5% sloping silage cornland without a relay crop resulted in a high risk to surface water quality, due to high suspended solid loads of between 7 and 14 Mg ha-1 yr-1 and high nutrient transport with mean annual total Kjeldahl N (TKN) P, and K loads of 98, 21, and 63 kg ha-1, respectively. Compared with no relay crop, intercropping silage corn with a relay crop of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) reduced the mean annual runoff and suspended solid load by 53 and 74%, respectively, TKN load by 56%, P load by 42%, K load by 31%, and Cu load by 57%. Even though total nutrient loads were lower with the relay crop treatment, all fall manure treatments including the relay crop resulted in nutrient loads above guidelines for the first three runoff events immediately following application. Key words: Runoff, suspended solids, nutrient loads, relay crop, cover crop, silage corn, manure

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MECHANISMS CONTROLLING SURFACE WATER QUALITY IN THE COBRAS RIVER SUB-BASIN, NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL

Revista Caatinga ◽

10.1590/1983-21252017v30n120rc ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 181-189 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

ALEXANDRE DE OLIVEIRA LIMA ◽

◽

FRANCISCO PINHEIRO LIMA-FILHO ◽

NILDO DA SILVA DIAS ◽

PRISCILA REGINA DO ARAGÃO REGO ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Surface Water ◽

Colloidal Particles ◽

Stream Water ◽

Surface Water Quality ◽

Northeastern Brazil ◽

Anthropogenic Sources ◽

Stream Water Quality ◽

Seasonal Behavior ◽

Organic Sediment

ABSTRACT Stream water quality is dependent on many factors, including the source and quantity of the streamflow and the types of geology and soil along the path of the stream. This study aims to evaluate the origin and the mechanisms controlling the input of ions that effect surface water quality in the sub -basin of the Rio das Cobras, Rio Grande do Norte state, Northeastern Brazil. Thirteen ponds were identified for study: three in the main river and ten in the tributaries between, thus covering the whole area and lithology of the sub -basin. The samples were collected at two different times (late dry and rainy periods) in the hydrological years 2009 and 2010, equating to total of four collection times. We analyzed the spatial and seasonal behavior of water quality in the sub-basin, using Piper diagrams, and analyzed the source of the ions using Guibbs diagram and molar ratios. With respect to ions, we found that water predominate in 82% sodium and 76% bicarbonate water (cations and anions, respectively). The main salinity control mechanism was related to the interaction of the colloidal particles (minerals and organic sediment) with the ions dissolved in water. Based on the analysis of nitrates and nitrites there was no evidence of contamination from anthropogenic sources.

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Mobilisation of N and P from Agricultural Land and its Impact on Stream Water Quality in Karst Hilly Areas, Southwestern China

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.295-298.2148 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 295-298 ◽

pp. 2148-2151

Author(s):

Fang Liu ◽

Jian Zhu ◽

Hai Bo Luo ◽

Yuan Sheng Liu

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Surface Water ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Stream Water ◽

Surface Water Quality ◽

Guizhou Province ◽

Agricultural Lands ◽

Stream Water Quality ◽

High Concentration ◽

Stream Waters

In order to evaluate the impacts of N and P mobility from agricultural soils on surface water quality, the dissolved N and P concentrations in the runoff, the drainage and stream waters nearby agricultural lands were investigated at the karst hilly regions in central Guizhou Province. The results shown that the concentrations of NO3−, NH4+ and PO43− in the runoff from upland soils were 9.8~22.1 mg L−1, 0.429~0.818 mg L−1 and 0.025~0.052 mg L−1, respectively, and higher concentrations of NO3− (14.5~25.3 mg L−1) in the drainage waters from paddy soils. In karst areas, the concentrations of NO3− in the stream waters nearby agricultural lands was 14.9~28.5 mg L−1, as indicated by high concentration of NO3− compared with the Grade III of Surface Water Quality Standard of China, suggesting a eutrophication problem for surface water nearby agricultural lands with intensive cultivation.

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