2005 Annual Report
4d.Progress report.
4. This report serves to document research conducted under a Reimbursable Interagency Agreement between the USDA-ARS and the Environmental Protection Agency. Additional details of this research can be found in the parent project 5310-32000-002-00D entitled "Detection, Source Identification, Environmental Transport, Fate, and Treatment of Pathogenic Microorganisms Derived from Animal Wastes". D. The primary objective of this project is to test the assumption that a well designed and executed Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan is protective of groundwater,and to address potential weaknesses in the land application design and operation processes. Collectively, this information should lead to the development of science based recommendations to improve CNMP performance, thereby protecting groundwater under Concentration Animal Feeding Operations from both nutrients and pathogens. We have begun instrumenting the field site, including: installing eight 4 four feet in diameter and 8 feet long culvert pipes vertically into the field sites; placing fencing around the site, adding irrigation lines; installing neutron probe access tubes, and measuring particle size distribution information from field core samples. We have also purchased much of the equipment to fully instrument these sites for nutrient and pathogen transport studies.
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