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Agricultural pollutant removal by constructed wetlands: Implications for water management and design

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  • Díaz, Francisco J.
  • O′Geen, Anthony T.
  • Dahlgren, Randy A.

Abstract

Several agricultural non-point source pollutants impair water quality in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River system of California's Central Valley. Constructed wetlands are a water management option available to growers in this region to economically reduce pollutants in agricultural runoff. This study assessed the efficacy of using constructed wetlands to improve water quality of irrigation return flows prior to discharge into surface waters. Seven constructed surface flow-through wetlands having contrasting design and water management were evaluated for their effects on the fate of chemical (salts, nutrients, and dissolved organic carbon), physical (suspended solids), and biological contaminants (algal pigments and bacteria indicator). Based on wetland input–output measurements, load removal efficiencies (LRE) were used to determine wetland performance. All wetlands efficiently removed nitrate and total suspended solids showing LRE ranging from 22 to 99% and from 31 to 96%, respectively. However, for the rest of studied parameters, removal dynamics were mixed, varying from source (negative LRE) to sink (positive LRE). In general continuous flow-through wetlands were more effective in removing most pollutants in comparison to flood-pulse wetlands. Among continuous flow-through wetlands those with lower vegetation cover (<5%) acted as algae incubators contributing to biological oxygen demand, while those with long hydrologic residence time (>10 days) promoted increased concentrations of dissolved organic carbon. Water evapotranspiration and seepage processes, vegetation characteristics and hydrologic residence time were key factors affecting concentration and load reductions. This study demonstrates the potential benefits and limitations of constructed wetlands for treating water from agricultural non-point sources, providing useful information for optimizing constructed wetland design and management.

Suggested Citation

  • Díaz, Francisco J. & O′Geen, Anthony T. & Dahlgren, Randy A., 2012. "Agricultural pollutant removal by constructed wetlands: Implications for water management and design," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 171-183.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:104:y:2012:i:c:p:171-183
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2011.12.012
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Brauer, N. & O'Geen, A.T. & Dahlgren, R.A., 2009. "Temporal variability in water quality of agricultural tailwaters: Implications for water quality monitoring," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(6), pages 1001-1009, June.
    2. Díaz, Francisco J. & O'Geen, Anthony T. & Dahlgren, Randy A., 2010. "Efficacy of constructed wetlands for removal of bacterial contamination from agricultural return flows," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(11), pages 1813-1821, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Pedro Garcia-Caparros & Juana Isabel Contreras & Rafael Baeza & Maria Luz Segura & Maria Teresa Lao, 2017. "Integral Management of Irrigation Water in Intensive Horticultural Systems of Almería," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-21, December.
    2. Yang Yi & Mingchang Shi & Chunjiang Liu & Bin Wang & Hongzhang Kang & Xinli Hu, 2018. "Changes of Ecosystem Services and Landscape Patterns in Mountainous Areas: A Case Study in the Mentougou District in Beijing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-17, October.
    3. Jasmina JOSIMOV-DUNDJERSKI & Radovan SAVIĆ & Andjelka BELIĆ & Atila SALVAI & Jasna GRABIĆ, 2015. "Sustainability of the constructed wetland based on the characteristics in effluent," Soil and Water Research, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 10(2), pages 114-120.
    4. Zhang, Y.M. & Lu, H.W. & Nie, X.H. & He, L. & Du, P., 2014. "An interactive inexact fuzzy bounded programming approach for agricultural water quality management," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 104-111.
    5. Liu, M. & Huang, G.H. & Liao, R.F. & Li, Y.P. & Xie, Y.L., 2013. "Fuzzy two-stage non-point source pollution management model for agricultural systems—A case study for the Lake Tai Basin, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 27-41.

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