• Hypoxic areas in Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes linked to nutrient transport from agricultural drainage
• Lack of current conservation practices and programs to adequately reduce transport
• Acceptable quality water supplies for downstream reuse including ecosystem function and sustainability, drinking water supplies, and recreation

Goal:

• Design and test the efficacy of a flow through filter system using an array of natural and synthetic by-product materials to reduce nutrient and pesticide transport from a mixed-used watershed.

Objective:

• Assess the ability of some commercially available systems to filter soluble pollutants from drainage waters originating from a managed turf site

Approach:

• Laboratory testing with flow rates equivalent to those measured in field studies and field testing on drainage pipe outlets from managed turf sites

Findings:

• Reduction in nitrate nitrogen concentration was 4.7%, dissolved reactive phosphorus, 51.6%, chlorothalonil, 58.2%, and metalaxyl, 28.8%
• System has been installed on tile drainage outlet at a private golf course in MN

Objective:

• Design, develop, and field test effectiveness of delivery systems and identified by-product materials

Approach:

• Field testing at a near 6 square mile mixed use watershed located within UBWC.

Progress:

• Field site has been instrumented with access pipe and sampling equipment
• Materials have been identified and an experimental design developed