Direct measurements of the tile drain and groundwater contributions to surface water contamination: from field-scale concentration patterns in groundwater to catchment-scale dynamics in stream water nutrient concentrations

Abstract

Enhanced knowledge of water and nutrient pathways in catchments improves the understanding of dynamics in water quality and supports the selection of appropriate water pollution mitigation options. For this study, we physically separated tile drain effluent and groundwater discharge from an agricultural field before it entered a 43.5 meter ditch transect. Through continuous discharge measurements and weekly water quality sampling, we directly quantified the flow route contributions to surface water discharge and solute loading. Our multi-scale experimental approach allowed us to relate these measurements to field-scale NO3 concentration patterns in shallow groundwater and to continuous NO3 records at the catchment outlet.