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Nutrient Attenuation in Agricultural Surface Runoff by Riparian Buffer Zones in Southern Illinois, USA

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Abstract

Nutrients in overland flow from agricultural areas are a common cause of stream and lake water quality impairment. One method of reducing excess nutrient runoff from non-point sources is to restore or enhance existing riparian areas as vegetative buffers. A field scale study was conducted to assess the ability of remnant giant cane (Arundinaria gigantea (Walt.) Muhl.) and forest riparian buffer zones to attenuate nutrients in agricultural surface runoff from natural precipitation events. Two adjacent, 10.0 m wide riparian buffers were instrumented with 16 overland flow collectors to monitor surface runoff for nitrate, ammonium, and orthophosphate. Measurements were taken at 3.3 m increments within each buffer. The forest buffer significantly reduced incoming dissolved nitrate-N, dissolved ammonium-N, total ammonium-N, and total orthophosphate masses in surface runoff by 97, 74, 68, and 78 , respectively within the 10.0 m riparian buffer. Nutrient reductions within the cane buffer were 100 for all three nutrients due to relatively high infiltration rates. Significant reductions of total ammonium- N and total orthophosphate were detected by 3.3 m in the cane buffer and at 6.6 m in the forest buffer. Results suggest that both giant cane and forest vegetation are good candidates to incorporate into riparian buffer restoration designs for southern Illinois as well as in other regions within their native range with similar climatic and physiographic conditions.

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Acknowledgements

This project was funded by the Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR) under the Water Quality Strategic Research Initiative, the USDA McIntire Stennis Cooperative Forestry program, and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Department of Forestry at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. We would like to thank Jeremy Webber and Trevor Ozier for field assistance and Jon O’Brien for help with laboratory analysis. Sara Baer is thanked for her help with statistical analysis. The valuable comments of two anonymous reviewers are appreciated.

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  1. Department of Forestry, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901-4411

    Jon E. Schoonover, Karl W. J. Williard, James J. Zaczek, Jean C. Mangun & Andrew D. Carver

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  1. Jon E. Schoonover
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  2. Karl W. J. Williard
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  3. James J. Zaczek
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  4. Jean C. Mangun
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  5. Andrew D. Carver
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Correspondence to Karl W. J. Williard.

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Schoonover, J.E., Williard, K.W.J., Zaczek, J.J. et al. Nutrient Attenuation in Agricultural Surface Runoff by Riparian Buffer Zones in Southern Illinois, USA. Agroforest Syst 64, 169–180 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-004-0294-7

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