TITLE:
Simulation of Nitrate Contamination in Groundwater Caused by Livestock Industry (Case Study: Rey)
AUTHORS:
Majid Ehteshami, Armin Sefidkar Langeroudi, Salman Tavassoli
KEYWORDS:
Livestock Industry; Nitrate Pollution; Pollution of Groundwater; LEACHN
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.4 No.7A,
July
17,
2013
ABSTRACT:
With the economic development of many
communities and the growing human population more food is needed. The livestock
industry is one of the fastest growing industries in developing countries. The development of the livestock industry and the
increase of livestock waste happens as a result of the growth in food production. The wastes are stored
in a way that contamination of groundwater and surface water pollution in the
environment has a significant impact on environment. This study analyses
the environmental impact of livestock facilities and nitrate leaching in
groundwater. After site sampling and libratory analysis, calibration of a
simulation model with observed data was done to show nitrate contamination in
“Rey” groundwater. The movement of nitrate into soil and groundwater was simulated
by LEACHN. By defining various scenarios and performing sensitivity analysis,
we examined precisely the factors affecting ground water contaminations. Along
together with the analysis of different scenarios and comparing them with the
measured values, seasonal rainfall conditions have greatest impact on the rate
of recharge of nitrate to groundwater. Therefore soil with low rainfall shows
44% reduction of nitrate leakage at a depth of 30 cm of soil conditions.
Finally, the modeling results and graphs from different scenarios for purpose
of nitrate reduction in groundwater were presented. The good match between
model results and observed data showed that the model is calibrated to this
area and can be used for prediction purposes and further studies.