Eutrophication was recognized in the early 1900's and results in severe algal blooms, increased biomass production and eventually leads to an altered ecosystem. In Mälardalen we find the most eutrophic lakes. Most of the applied phosphorus and nitrogen into seas and oceans comes from agriculture, and the nutrients losses are affected by local weather conditions and soil type. Guidelines for storage and distribution of manure were introduced in the 80s, and the rules were strengthened January 1, 2010. Localities and previous county administrations can whether there are special reasons, grant an exemption for manure application during winter-periods despite the current ban. In this essay I have examined how many exemptions of manure application that has been granted at the Sagån river, and what implications it has for the eutrophication of Lake Mälaren. Sagån’s catchment area extends through Enköping, Sala, Heby, Västerås and Uppsala. Since 2000, 23 waivers of manure application have been granted, most of these deviations have occurred on snow-covered ground or when the weather change considerably. This means that much of the nutriment in the manure went down to the nearby water when the snow melted. Computations were made In order to find out how much phosphorus was spread each time. The conclusion is that the pig manure contains significantly more phosphorus, meaning greater phosphorus losses. However, these calculations are only estimates. Several farmers were contacted to find out what they think about the regulation of the management and application of manure. They believe that the new legislation does not pose a problem for them. But farmers with small distribution areas in relation to the number of animals could have some problems.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:mdh-10063 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Vinberg, Ulrika |
| Publisher | Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för hållbar samhälls- och teknikutveckling |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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