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Title: FACILIATATED MANURE-BORNE BACTERIA TRANSPORT IN SOIL COLUMNS

Author
item GUBER, ANDREY - U. OF MOSCOW
item Pachepsky, Yakov
item Shelton, Daniel
item SHEIN, E. - U. OF MOSCOW
item POLYANSKAYA, L. - U. OF MOSCOW
item DEVIN, B. - U. OF MOSCOW

Submitted to: European Geophysical Society Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/13/2004
Publication Date: 4/26/2004
Citation: Guber, A.K., Pachepsky, Y.A., Shelton, D.R., Shein, E.V., Polyanskaya, L.M., Devin, B.A. 2004. Faciliatated manure-borne bacteria transport in soil columns. [CD-ROM]. European Geophysical Society Meeting, April 26-30, 2004, Nice, France. paper EGU04-A-0542.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The average velocity of the E. Coli transport in groundwater was shown to be up to ten times larger than water velocity. One of possible causes for that was association of bacteria with colloids. This may have relevance to the transport of manure-borne bacteria in soils since they are released along with colloidal manure particles. We monitored and simulated effluent for chloride, turbidity, and E. Coli contents in experiments with undisturbed soil columns. One-pore volume pulses of bovine manure solution spiked with E. Coli were passed through columns. Vertical distributions of bacteria in columns after the experiments were determined. Chloride breakthrough curve was smooth whereas E. Coli concentration and turbidity in effluent oscillated substantially. Solutions of the convective-dispersive equation had to be fitted to the cumulative breakthrough curves to obtain transport parameter estimates. Bacteria transport patterns were dependent on flow velocity. Maximum bacteria concentrations were observed earlier than maximum chloride concentration. Effluent chloride concentrations decreased faster than those of E. Coli. The effluent turbidity stabilized at low levels soon after concentrations reached peak. Bacteria content in soil varied within three orders of magnitude and in total was less than 10% of the applied amount. A relatively large fraction of manure-borne E. coli was able to pass through saturated soil columns. There was similarity in manure particulates and E. Coli breakthrough. A small fraction of pore space was available for E. Coli and manure particulate transport. The presence of manure seemed to be the major factor responsible for enhanced E. coli breakthrough.