Rationale: Hypoxic areas in Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes linked to nutrient transport from agricultural drainage Lack of current conservation practices and programs to adequately reduce transport Acceptable quality water supplies for downstream reuse including ecosystem function and sustainability, drinking water supplies, and recreation Goal: Design and test the efficacy of a flow through filter system using an array of natural and synthetic by-product materials to reduce nutrient and pesticide transport from a mixed-used watershed.
Objective: Assess the ability of some commercially available systems to filter soluble pollutants from drainage waters originating from a managed turf site Approach: Laboratory testing with flow rates equivalent to those measured in field studies and field testing on drainage pipe outlets from managed turf sites Findings: Reduction in nitrate nitrogen concentration was 4.7%, dissolved reactive phosphorus, 51.6%, chlorothalonil, 58.2%, and metalaxyl, 28.8% System has been installed on tile drainage outlet at a private golf course in MN
Objective: Design, develop, and field test effectiveness of delivery systems and identified by-product materials Approach: Field testing at a near 6 square mile mixed use watershed located within UBWC. Progress: Field site has been instrumented with access pipe and sampling equipment Materials have been identified and an experimental design developed

DRAINAGE FILTRATION: DEVELOPMENT AND ASSESSMENT (PDF)