Location: National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory
Project Number: 5020-12130-004-011-N
Project Type: Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Oct 1, 2020
End Date: Aug 14, 2022
Objective:
Design and construct a blind inlet at a phosphorus (P) removal structure for filtering water from prairie potholes.
Approach:
To achieve this goal, we propose to: 1) establish a comparison pothole site and expand water quality monitoring; 2) design and install a blind inlet based on site inputs, utilizing a mixture of steel turnings-gravel or some other available phosphorus sorption material (PSM); and 3) apply a chemical mixing model to assess P contribution from intakes relative to infiltrated drainage. We hypothesize that PSM placed in the blind inlets installed within farmed pothole depressions reduce the TP and DRP concentration of water in the tile drain system entering through the surface inlets. We will test this hypothesis in a comparison pothole study, using supporting data from Cooperator’s prior monitoring.
Two "pot holes" will be instrumented with automated water quality monitoring devices. A P removal structure will be constructed via a blind inlet at one of the potholes, and additionally monitored to quantify dissolved P reductions. Tentatively, the blind inlet P removal structure is to be constructed using a gravel-steel shavings mixture.
