Water table control by subsurface drainage has been shown to affect leaching losses of nitrate-nitrogen: a concern both for economic use of fertilizer, and for maintenance of water quality. The effect of water table height on leaching of NO₃⁻-N was investigated in this study in nineteen 15cm x 100cm undisturbed cores of silty clay loam. The experiment simulated fertilization followed by rainfall, then rapid water table rise and fall, under conditions similiar to those experienced in the early spring in the Lower Fraser Valley. In the first part of the experiment, a concentrated solution of KNO₃ and KG (equivalent to 35 kg/ha of N and 22 kg/ha of Cl) was applied to the columns, followed by intermittent leaching with distilled water. Leachate from two depths in each column was collected before and after a period of static water table, and analyzed for NO₃⁻, No₂⁻, NH₄⁺, and Cl⁻. This procedure was repeated without nutrient addition in the second part of the experiment. Chloride was used an inert tracer to follow anion movement and retention within the columns. There was no significant difference in the leachate NO₃⁻ concentration or leachate N/CI ratio from any of the four water table heights tested (15, 35, 55, and 75 cm above drain depth). The NO₃⁻ concentrations and N/CI ratios decreased with depth in the soil columns, indicating removal of N from the percolating soil solution, either by denitrification or immobilization. The variability in leachate concentrations among all columns was very high (eg. for a typical sample time, NO₃⁻-N ranged from 0.01 to 15.72 mg/L, and Cl⁻ ranged from 4.8 to 14.5 mg/L), as was the variability in constant head satiated hydraulic conductivities (range: 1 to 1468 cm/day; CV = 181%), and drainable porosity (range: 2.7 to 10.4%; CV = 39%). Cross sections of columns leached with 1% methylene blue solution did not reveal differences in patterns of water transmission between low and high conductivity columns. Indications were that penetration of dye was greater in columns with higher conductivities, and that preferential flow occurred in all columns examined. Leachate concentrations and N/CI ratios correlated significantly with hydraulic conductivity: Spearman's correlation coefficients were always > 0.8 for samples obtained from the bottom of the columns. However, even when the conductivity was included as a covariate in an analysis of covariance, there was no significant effect of water table height on nitrate leaching. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Chemical and Biological Engineering, Department of / Graduate

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Laboratory soil columns, 0.3 m diameter $ times$ 0.7 m long, and two computer simulation models, LEACHM-N and NTRM, were used to investigate nitrate-nitrogen ($ rm NO sb{3 sp{-}}$-N) leaching in a sandy loam soil. The following treatments were studied: no-till (NT), reduced tillage (RT), and conventional tillage (CT) practices, with residue (R) and without residue (NR). Nitrogen fertilizer was applied at a rate of 180 kg/ha in granular form (experiment I), and in solution form a year later (experiment II). In both experiments, water was applied 5 times over 3 to 4 weeks duration, with each application lasting for 30 minutes. Each column received an average of 24 mm water in experiment I and 32 mm in experiment II. Soil moisture contents were measured and water for $ rm NO sb{3 sp{-}}$-N concentration determination sampled at 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 m depths, following each water application. / In each experiment I, higher nitrate-nitrogen concentrations ($ lbrack rm NO sb{3 sp{-}}$-N)), occurred at the 0.1 and 0.2 m soil layers in RT and CT treatments initially, but less leached to lower layers, while more $ rm NO sb{3 sp{-}}$-N leached to lower depths (below 0.4 m) in the NT treatment. In experiment II, more $ rm NO sb{3 sp{-}}$-N leached below 0.4 m in RT and CT than in NT treatments. Conventional tillage exhibited the lowest drainage rates. Tillage and residue effects were significant only at early stages (4 hours or before) at some depths of experiment I ($P<0.05$). Maximum $ lbrack rm NO sb{3 sp{-}}$-N) occurred at 0.4 m depth in all treatments. / LEACHM-N estimated more $ rm NO sb{3 sp{-}}$-N leaching below 0.4 m in RT and CT treatments than in NT treatment. The model performed poorly only immediately after fertilizer application, showing up to 50% deviation from observed data. Although LEACHM-N overpredicted $ lbrack rm NO sb{3 sp{-}}$-N) in the 0.2 m soil layers in all treatments, estimations remained within standard deviations of observed data. NTRM performed well below 0.4 m depths, but often underpredicted $ rm NO sb{3 sp{-}}$-N leaching at shallower depths. / From both the laboratory experiments and mathematical simulations it was concluded that when fertilizer is applied in granular form, no till practice is undesirable because deeper $ rm NO sb{3 sp{-}}$-N leaching (below 0.4 m) occurs. Reduced tillage may be the preferred choice in such a situation. When fertilizer is applied in solution, reduced and conventional tillage practices are undesirable because deeper $ rm NO sb{3 sp{-}}$-N leaching occurred. No till practice may be a better choice in such a case.

Nitrate leaching was studied on a 2.4-ha subsurface-drained corn (Zea mays L.) field in southwestern Quebec. The soil was a sandy loam to loamy sand (mean depth 46 cm) overlying clay. Treatments, begun in fall 1991, consisted of no-till, reduced tillage, and conventional tillage with crop residues either removed or retained at harvest. Drain flow volume and NO$ sb3 sp-$-N concentrations in flow were monitored year-round, and soil NO$ sb3 sp-$-N levels measured in spring and fall. A total of 34 kg NO$ sb3 sp-$-N ha$ sp{-1}$ was recorded in drain flow in 1992 from the site as a whole, equivalent to 20% of applied fertilizer N. In the first 14 months of monitoring, over 70% of water samples had NO$ sb3 sp-$-N levels exceeding Canadian drinking water guidelines (10 mg NO$ sb3 sp-$-N L$ sp{-1}),$ and about 25% had over 40 mg NO$ sb3 sp-$-N L$ sp{-1}.$ Flow-weighted mean concentration for the site as a whole in 1992 was 19 mg NO$ sb3 sp-$-N L$ sp{-1}.$ Unanticipated variations in drain depth significantly affected flow volume and total NO$ sb3 sp-$-N losses, hampering assessment of treatment effects on drain water parameters. In 1992, post-harvest soil NO$ sb3 sp-$-N levels at 0-25 cm were significantly lower in plots with crop residues retained, regardless of tillage system, than in plots with residues removed. In May 1993 (pre-tillage), soil NO$ sb3 sp-$-N levels were similar for all treatments, having dropped in no-residue plots and risen slightly in plots with residues, suggesting immobilization of NO$ sb3 sp-$-N by crop residues in summer-fall and mineralization in spring. The NO$ sb3 sp-$-N measured in drain flow represents a substantial loss of N from the farm system, and has negative implications for water quality. Within the time-frame of the study, crop residues appeared to have a greater effect on soil NO$ sb3 sp-$-N levels, and thus leaching potential, than did tillage system.

A leaching study was undertaken with $ sp{14}$C radio-labelled atrazine in long, intact, soil columns to investigate the fate and transport of atrazine in a Quebec sandy loam soil and to test two contaminant transport models, namely PRZM and LEACHMP. / Results indicated a large variation in atrazine concentration. The maximum levels in the leachate of the soil columns ranged from 0 to 11.2 $ mu$g/L. Deisopropyl-atrazine, the principal metabolite in the soil columns, was detected near the soil surface and did not leach beyond 15 cm depth. The adsorptive and desorptive capacity of atrazine in the soil columns was mainly attributed to organic matter and moisture content. / LEACHMP was found to be superior in predicting hydrologic characteristics in the soil columns as compared to PRZM which required calibration. Both models underestimated levels of atrazine near the soil surface and in the leachate (115 cm depth). The results from first and second order analysis for PRZM and LEACHMP showed considerable uncertainty in atrazine fate and transport. First and second order analyses were found to be useful tools in indicating where efforts to reduce uncertainty can best be directed.

Chemical treatment of contaminated soils (in-situ or ex-situ) is the current most practical option for remediation. The degree of metal complexation by organic acids depends on the type, concentration, metal type, pH and temperature. The influence of pH, temperature on the extraction efficiency of lead, zinc and copper was evaluated using Sodium citrate and sodium acetate buffers. Sodium citrate buffer was selected for the soil treatment. The soil was characterized for its pH, total metal content and the distribution of target heavy metals in soil fractions. Optimal conditions for Pb extraction with 0.5M citrate buffer was used to treat soil in batches and in columns, to evaluate their extraction efficiency and possible use for in-situ remediation. / Chitosan, a derivative of chitin is a versatile biopolymer with metal uptake capabilities. Due to the large amounts of chitosan required to treat heavily contaminated leachates, magnesium (Mg) and iron (Fe) metals granules were evaluated for stripping the heavy metals from solution before the use of chitosan at optimized conditions to effectively polish the soil washing. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

The use of high N fertilizer in sweet corn (Zea mays L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivium L.) production often results in leaching losses and contamination of ground water. Cover crops planted after harvest of sweet corn and wheat may reduce residual soil NO$ sp- sb3$-N levels by crop N uptake and subsequently minimize NO$ sp- sb3$-N content in gravitational water. Field experiments were conducted on a Ste. Rosalie heavy clay (Humic Gleysol) and a St. Bernard sandy clay loam (Melanic Brunisol) to determine the contribution of the six cover crops to nutrient uptake, subsequent N release, leaching losses, denitrification rates and soil properties such as aggregate stability, organic matter. The cover crops were red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.), forage radish (Raphanus sativus L.), canola (Brassica rapa L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), annual rye grass (Lolium multiflorum L.). Three replicates were used in a split plot arrangement of a randomized complete block experiment. Sweet corn and wheat were grown at three fertilizer N rates, 0-75-150 kg N ha$ sp{-1}$ for sweet corn and 0-45-90 kg N ha$ sp{-1}$ for wheat. Cover crop of forage radish, canola and barley were more effective at absorption or soil N than rye grass and clover species at all sample times. Levels of soluble N in the soil were reduced with cover crop in the off-season. Cover crop plots had higher NO$ sp- sb3$-N levels than control plots in the spring, indicating net mineralization and nitrification. Gravitational water NO$ sp- sb3$-N contents were higher in the control plots relative to cover crop plots at both sites. Therefore growing cover crops after harvest of sweet corn and wheat can reduce residual NO$ sb3$-N level in the soil and thus restrict ground water contamination with fertilizer N.