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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Laboratory for Agriculture and The Environment » Agroecosystems Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #337127
Title: Improved or unimproved urban areas effect on soil and water quality

Author
item Logsdon, Sally
item SAUER, PATRICIA - Iowa Stormwater Education Partnership

Submitted to: Water
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/28/2017
Publication Date: 4/1/2017
Citation: Logsdon, S.D., Sauer, P. 2017. Improved or unimproved urban areas effect on soil and water quality. Water. 9(4):247. doi: 10.3390/w9040247.

Interpretive Summary: Compacted soils are common in urban areas due to construction processes. The compacted soils have poor root growth and increased stormwater runoff. This study showed that aeration plus compost additions to existing lawns reduced compaction in the surface soil compared with unimproved soil. The improved soil also had increased water holding capacity and better soil structure. There was no improvement in the infiltration of water, amount of runoff or erosion, or nutrients lost in runoff. This information is of interest to urban planners and landowners who want to reduce negative effects of compaction on existing lawns.

Technical Abstract: Construction in urban areas usually results in compacted soil, which restricts plant growth and infiltration. Nutrients may be lost in storm runoff water and sediment. The purpose of this study was to determine if existing lawns benefit from aeration and surface compost additions without negative impact on nutrient loss in runoff. Four sets of lawns were compared, with or without compost plus aeration, as a paired comparison. Surface bulk density was significantly reduced in the treated lawns (1.32 versus 1.42 Mg m-3). Visual evaluation of soil structure showed improvement in the treated lawns. Of fifteen measurement dates over four years, four dates showed significantly higher surface soil water contents in the treated lawns compared with the untreated lawns. When compared over time, three of the four treated lawns had significantly higher soil water content than the untreated lawns. Nutrient concentrations in rainfall simulator runoff were not significantly different between treated and control lawns, which showed that compost did not negatively impact water quality. Compost and aeration helped restore soil quality for urban soils of recent construction.